Iridescence
by Constipated Genius
Summary: Despite the fateful mission Iridescence and their friends had been tasked with robbing them of a great deal of their free time, love and friendship still manages to find its way in a world set against those who would see it bloom. (A series of oneshots that seeks to flesh out the characters and story of those involved in Tale of Team Iridescence.)
1. Volume X: Before the Dawn

Before the Dawn:

As Sanzang finished applying what was possibly the third generous application of his healing salve onto Sandy's wounds and fetched a roll of bandages from his satchel, he let out a sigh. "Well," he began, dressing the wound on Sandy's bicep the same as he did on the considerable number of other injuries his friend had sustained, "that'll be the last of my salve." Looking down, he found that not only had his salve stockpile run dry in the aftermath of his merry trio's latest battle, but his last roll of bandages had been depleted as well.

"And the bandages…" His shoulders deflated, the fatigue of the battle that'd occurred mere hours ago settling in his body as he stuffed the empty containers of salve into his satchel. "I sincerely hope you aren't planning on alerting another raider encampment to our location before we're ready to attack next time, Sandy." He half-heartedly chastised, more thankful that his friend had emerged alive than he was frustrated about the wounds the three of them had sustained burning through his remaining stockpile.

Over the years, Sanzang had prided himself on being able to provide whatever people needed, whenever they needed it, despite his nomadic lifestyle as something of an adventuring monk with a knack for pressure-point combat. As a result, Sanzang was known to have always had more than enough resources to spare for any occasion, no matter how severe or mundane it might have been. Running low on something as fundamental as medical supplies, while not disastrous – given how his salves were made with readily available herbs and bandages weren't all that expensive – was still something that irked the long-haired man.

"Oh, come on! I'm sure we'll make do." Sandy encouraged, "It can't be worse than when we met," he finished with a nostalgic grin, despite the fact that when Sanzang had first encountered the larger-than-life man, Sandy had been halfway to death's doorstep after barely fending off a gang's attempt to rob him blind. Sanzang was still only beginning his nomadic journey around Anima at the time, and thus only had a passing knowledge of how to treat Sandy's wounds without medical supplies, but no matter the scars that remained from his serviceable-at-best first aid, Sandy had lived – and had promptly vowed to return the favor by joining the young monk on his journey. Whether that was because of his perception of a life-debt to Sanzang or because, as he later found out, Sandy was a homeless brawler with nowhere to go, he didn't know; but truly, he couldn't quite find it in himself to care.

As Sanzang rolled his eyes, a certain portly pig-eared Faunus piped up from his spot dozing up against the wall. "As much as I hate to agree with him when it comes to having no supplies, he's right. We've been through worse… unfortunately." Pigsy finished with a yawn.

He was right, too. Shortly after partnering up with the Sandy, Pigsy had joined Sanzang on his wandering journey for similar reasons, with the duo having saved his life from the anti-Faunus sentiment in his hometown near Argus. While having an extra pair of hands with a talent for unconventional combat via a sharpened rake was all well and good, Sandy and Sanzang had already been scraping by on whatever charity was given to them on their journey, and the presence of a Faunus among them only made that charity all the rarer. Until they started making a name for themselves as a respectable group of adventurers that always helped those in need, the trio had to endure no small number of nights spent with empty bellies out in the wilderness, neither of the human members of their party ever willing to leave Pigsy out in the cold alone.

As a result, the three of them had forged an unshakeable bond that none of them ever needed words to describe. They knew each other's strengths and weaknesses, had each other's backs even in the most desperate of times, and were more than ready to walk into a den of Grimm alone if it meant saving their friends' lives. It was this same bond that made them such a formidable force to be reckoned with, despite their lack of Semblances or training as Huntsmen. To those who would see them or any innocents under their protection harmed, the unnamed trio of wanderer's led by a long-haired monk became something of a boogeyman, and to those they protected, they were but humble heroes wishing to do good.

"I'm… sorry to hear that." A cat-eared Faunus said, earning a startled jolt from Pigsy, who was too tired from battle to have noticed their most recent client coming.

As Pigsy was still clutching his chest to calm himself down, Sanzang looked up at the man and gave a small shrug. "It's none of your concern, Beryl." He assured, rising to his feet. "It's good to see you again though. As your clansmen might've informed you, we come bearing good news – the raiders are all defeated, and though their leader may have escaped, I don't believe their raids will be a problem for you again anytime soon."

Taking ahold of the slightly older man's hand and shaking it, Beryl shook his head slightly as he and his wife, Peridot, caught a glimpse of the heavily-bandaged state of Sandy. "You didn't have to do this for us." He apologized, "If I'd known that those raiders were so dangerous, even to you three, I would never have sent you to deal with them, I swear."

"Dangerous? That's an understatement." Pigsy snorted, rising to his feet and dusting himself off, now too alert to even think about sleeping anytime soon.

Sanzang's expression remained comfortingly calm despite his friend's frustration. Even though the young leader of the Malachite Clan had just about begged for the trio's aid in dealing with the raiders led by Arach Nid and their attacks on his clan's trade caravans, none of those present knew just what they were getting into when they accepted the man's plea for help. While Arach's grunts were no match for the experienced trio, when the spider Faunus himself had joined the battle and rallied his men, it was everything they could do to stand their ground and have each other's backs against overwhelming odds. Despite having emerged victorious in the end, Arach had escaped, and with the utterly wild way the man had fought, none of Sanzang's party were looking forward to the possibility of the Faunus coming for them for revenge.

"It's no problem, Beryl, really. Making sure people like him can't prey on honest folk such as yourself is well worth any risk – and don't worry about paying us anything. Protecting people like you is reward enough." He said. While he was annoyed at their lack of medical supplies, Sanzang was a man of his principles, and wasn't about to ask for compensation for something he saw as simply the right thing to do.

Beryl bit his tongue in thought, his foot tapping on the wood floor before he nodded to himself. "Then let me offer you something more – a place in the clan as my closest allies and friends. It's the least I could do, after what you've done for us." He said, desperate to give thanks to the three men who had possibly just saved generations' worth of his clan's prosperity on a whim.

As the monk and his friends' eyes went wide and Sanzang began contemplating the offer, Peridot piped up, turning Beryl around to face her. "Are you sure? Something like that's never been done before!" She exclaimed. After years of marriage, she had become abundantly familiar with how unconventional an offer her husband had just made. While exceptions were made in the case of marriage, it was unheard of for strangers to be invited into the Malachite Clan, and for Beryl to make such an offer was the last thing she expected.

"I'll make an exception for them. They more than deserve it after they bled for us, and with Arach Nid out there, there's no telling if they'd ever be safe out on the road again." He turned towards Sanzang and the rest. "Tell me that I'm wrong?"

Pigsy shrugged, kicking his rake off the floor and into his hand. "He does have a point. Besides, it'd be nice to settle down. We've been on the road for, what, how many years now?" He asked, gesturing towards Sanzang and Sandy.

"That does sound nice, but… what are we gonna do? After so long out and in the world, it seems… weird to slow down now." Sandy looked around, suddenly feeling as though the room around him felt a lot larger than it used to be.

Pigsy smiled. "Are you kidding? I think this clan has an opening right about now for a certain guardian who could train up some quality guardsmen so that this raider business never happens again. As for me? I think I'd like to try and become a chef like my grandparents – always sounded like a nice, stable job." He turned, content with how Sandy seemed to be considering the idea Pigsy proposed. "And Sanzang? You could easily make a living growing herbs and making those medicines of yours! So, come on, what do you say?" He finished, planting his rake into the floor and striking an overly dramatic pose.

Sanzang shook his head. "You know, I didn't need you to spell it out for me Pigsy, but… you're right. We don't know if Arach is going to be hunting us down, we can't always be on guard for him, and settling down… doesn't sound like a terrible idea." He turned towards the younger couple before him. "It sounds like we'll be staying, then." He stated, picking up his satchel. "Care to show us around?"

Beryl shared in an amused look with Sandy as Pigsy pumped his fist in excitement before answering. "It'd be my honor." He declared with a bow of his head, motioning for his newfound inner council to follow him deeper into his ancestral home.

Though none of them knew then how their lives in their newfound home would turn out, over the years, it became increasingly apparent that they had made the right choice in choosing to leave behind the wanderer's lifestyle they'd lived for so long.

True to his word, within mere months of familiarizing himself with the facilities of the Malachite Clan's home, Pigsy was well on his way to becoming as much of a legendary chef as he was a fighter. Years of having so little to work with blended with his family's history in the culinary world in such a way that the Faunus, once he was given a selection of ingredients that consisted of things other than canned goods, could only blossom in his new, well-stocked cooking environment. At the same time, Sandy's experience as the heart of Sanzang's trio tempered him into the perfectly knowledgeable, yet down-to-earth fighter the clan needed to instill courage and steadfast resolve into the guards that would be born and raised within the Malachite Clan's walls.

Just as Sandy and Pigsy found their own callings within their adopted family, over the years, Sanzang became a local legend within the walls of Mistral as someone with the patience of a saint and such an encyclopedic knowledge of herbal medicines that he was just about glorified as one by some. Even as his and his companions' hair grew grey and they found themselves increasingly at odds with time as Beryl and Peridot welcomed a new life of their own into the world, Sanzang never found himself disheartened. If anything, the presence of a life brought into being by the man who'd given him a home reinvigorated the aging monk. Whereas before his sage advice had only been taken to heart by a select few friends and acquaintances who had already long since formed their own identities, Sanzang held hope that Beryl's daughter would latch onto his wisdom and carry it on long after his days came to an end. As the young woman grew and faced adversity and tragedy no one so youthful should have to endure, and yet still emerged stronger for it, Sanzang knew that his hopes were well-founded. Though he had never imagined his life would tread the path he'd wound up taking, he was more than content to see it through to the end; and in his eyes, the world would be all the better for it.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** **After so long thinking about how cool it'd be to find some way to work the inner council's origins/backstory into ToTI, I think deciding to just bite the bullet and make a full-fledged oneshot about it has to have been one of my favorite decisions I've ever made for these three. Despite being side characters, I think giving them their own curt nod of acknowledgment was the least I could do for them after so long of just off-handedly mentioning them – especially considering how their saving the Malachite Clan and their subsequent guidance of Opal might have very well helped shape Remnant for the better.**

 **PS: Do note that 'A Study in Support' and 'Food for Thought' were the first two oneshots I wrote - I simply moved 'Fractured' and this to the front of the chapter list for the sake of continuity and the chronological organization of this series making sense! So... when I do update this fic, do check in on the chapter list, in case my 'new' chapter winds up being classified in the same grouping as the pre-ToTI oneshots or an already covered volume.**


	2. Volume X: Fractured

Fractured:

Over the generations, the Malachite Clan had unofficially made it a family tradition to make the journey on foot to the coast of Lake Matsu every year. Not only was it a reprieve from the crowded city life of Mistral, but it was well-documented that the clan's founder, Jade Malachite, had walked on foot alone to the lake annually in order to celebrate his faith that the gods would grant his clan prosperity. Though many aspects of the journey resembling a holy pilgrimage had been phased out over the generations, the tradition of walking on foot the entire way was the clan's way of honoring their peacock-tailed founder's piety.

Though the current leaders of the clan, Beryl and Peridot Malachite, had always enjoyed the amenities of the lakeside destination their predecessors had built for their descendants and somewhat loathed the long trek itself, their daughter was something of an oddity. While she more than enjoyed their lakeside home's luxuries, Opal Malachite more found herself enjoying the sights and sounds of Anima's untamed wilds more than anything every year they made the trip. This was despite the fact that every time they made the journey, she had to leave behind her passion for the forge for what could become upwards of a month's absence. At first, leaving behind her studies in smithing for any amount of time put her in a foul mood, proclaiming that every moment she spent not preparing herself for inheriting the clan's business was a moment wasted – though that trend fell by the wayside the more she found herself in awe of the many unfamiliar things they encountered along the way.

So it was that the family of three found themselves on the path towards Lake Matsu, a number of guards accompanying them to assure their safe passage – alongside the larger-than-life member of the clan's inner council known as Sandy. Bearing the scars of dozens of battles and not losing an ounce of his love of life nor his wit, he was something of a living icon of bravery to Opal, and for good reason too. Though it was long before the young cat Faunus had ever been brought into the world by her mixed-race pair of parents, Sandy and the rest of the inner council were something of a traveling band of adventurers, and thus were no strangers to the dangers of traveling the breadth of Anima's wilds.

Adjusting his studded kanabo on his shoulder as he put away his Scroll, Sandy interrupted a conversation Opal was having with her father. "Welp, looks like we've hit the signal dead zone from here to near the next town over," he said with a click of his tongue.

"Well that's no big deal with you around! Besides, it leaves me plenty of time to convince Dad that I'm more than ready to start working with Dust" she said proudly, ignoring the annoyed look her father sent her in favor of focusing on the small smile that spread over Sandy's cheeks.

"Yeah, you've got that right," he half-bragged, ruffling Opal's hair between her ears. "Still – can't be too careful. Come on, let's form a perimeter." He commanded, the guards wordlessly giving their nods of acknowledgment before stepping into formation.

As they continued, Opal found herself making tremendous progress in convincing her father that crafting Dust-infused weapons was simply the next logical step in her training. While Beryl had been somewhat apprehensive to the idea on account of how he nearly burned off the ends of his hair in his own over-eagerness to explore the applications of Dust, he couldn't deny that Opal was making greater progress in smithing at 15 than he'd made at twice her age. With that in mind and an eagerness to put an end to what seemed to be a well-rehearsed speech of hers, he was merely waiting for a chance to get a word in edgewise to accept her request.

Unfortunately, he never got the chance.

As the snake-tongued right hand of Sandy froze at the front of the formation, so too did everyone else suddenly stop dead in their tracks. Only mildly concerned, thinking he'd detected some pack of wild animals like they had several times before, Sandy approached him. "Ka, what is it?" He whispered, the dreadful look on Ka's face tipping him off that the Faunus had detected something worse than mere animals.

Flecking his tongue out once more, Ka shook his head. "Grimm."

Suddenly going tight-lipped and lowering his voice further, Sandy began running through several of the plans he'd made for just a situation as this. "How many? What kind?"

Ka let out a barely audible sigh before readying his scimitar. "Too many. Ursai, Beowolves – maybe an Alpha – I can't tell if there's anything else. Not with how many there are."

Sandy nodded, putting on an authoritative mask that betrayed no trace of the severity of the quiet exchange he'd just had. Years of wandering Anima had taught him well that even the small amount of panic that Beryl and his family could produce would be enough to single them out as targets for the Grimm. If he wanted his young charge and her parents to emerge alive, the least he could do was maintain his cool. "Ok everyone, we need to pick up the pace – just a precaution." He calmly assured, grip on his kanabo tightening as he shot Beryl a reassuring look as he pulled his wife and daughter close. If there was anything Beryl had learned to trust, it was that when Sandy suggested something to keep his family safe, he'd be wise to listen. What's more, even though he never named the reason why they needed to move more quickly, thanks to the tension that radiated out from Ka and some of the guards closest to him, everyone quickly gathered exactly why they were moving more quickly – the Grimm were near.

Their pace hastened, the lack of reception only wordlessly reminding everyone present that there was no chance to call for a Huntsmen for help if the Grimm caught up to them. As the minutes dragged on and her unease grew at the eerie silence that seemed to have filled the forest, a chill creeped up Opal spine as a single howl in the distance seemed to trigger a cacophony of guttural snarls and inhuman roars.

Sandy cursed underneath his breath. "Ka, with me," he quickly ordered, letting Opal and her family overtake him as he motioned for a portion of the guards to form a line around him, "Beryl, take Peridot and Opal and the rest of the guards to Anzensei – we'll buy you time." As the tide of crimson and pitch black made its hot pursuit of their prey known, the true number of the Grimm made itself clear. For every one well-trained guard present, there appeared to be at least four or five Grimm to match, and the number seemed only to be growing as the Grimm drew closer.

As Opal stopped suddenly in her tracks, she whirled around to face her guardian. "What? Sandy, no!" She shouted, terror filling her voice at the idea of leaving Sandy to face off against such overwhelming odds. "You could die!"

"Don't worry about me! Beryl, get her out of here!" He barked over his shoulder, the rest of his and Ka's detachment of guards readying their weapons.

The last thing Opal saw as her father managed to finally pull her into motion as the unholy horde of Grimm approached was Ka cleaving a Beowolf in two before being tackled by an Ursai, and the last thing she could distinctly hear over the din of battle behind her was the uncomfortable crunch of bone shattering and a body seeming to turn to ash in the wind.

Although she and her family tried to remain calm and take solace in the knowledge that they still possessed a sizeable portion of their guard, Opal still found herself breaking into a cold sweat as the haunting cry of the Grimm caught up with them. Though she refused to look behind her at her parents' behest, she could plainly hear the dull thud of bodies falling behind her – and not all of them seemed to finish their fall by scattering in the wind. Within only a few dozen agonizing moments of the Grimm catching up with them, Opal found herself being grabbed and encircled by a group of four guards that desperately pulled her out of the way of what appeared to be an Alpha Beowolf. As her parents' cries for their daughter were muffled by both the number of guards surrounding the pair and her shock at seeing a Grimm up close, Opal didn't notice that she was in a dead sprint alongside only two of the four guards that'd pulled her aside until she tripped over a tree root.

Forming a last line of defense between the heiress of the Malachite Clan and certain death, the remaining two guards stood their ground in a desperate attempt to protect Opal. The Alpha Beowolf seemed to consider them for a moment, its head tilting at an odd angle as it looked at them before charging. Her right guardsman raised his shield valiantly in a desperate attempt to block the Alpha's cleaving strike, but the monster reacted with lightning speed, catching him in the face with outstretched claws before he could react. Opal was paralyzed by fear as she saw a deep red mist erupt from the guard's head before he dropped lifelessly to the ground. Turning to her final remaining guard, it wasn't long before she witnessed her last defender being thrown around like a ragdoll. After the Alpha Beowolf tossed the guard's body aside, causing a sickening snap to echo around her, the Grimm paused, falling on all fours as it prepared to pounce.

Opal didn't remember how, but all she would remember after the fact was that as she stared death in the eye, a part of her just seemed to _click_. Feeling as though the Alpha's pounce was in slow motion, Opal whirled to her feet and broke out into a mad dash deeper into the forest, desperate to escape what would be her certain death.

Weaving in and out of the trees with speed in short bursts and a reaction time she could never have fathomed herself having, she realized that what unnatural agility she'd suddenly achieved was in fact her Semblance having sprung to life. Though she knew not how or why it decided to grace her with its presence, she decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and instead kept on dodging the Alpha whenever it had a clear line of sight towards her. Even still, for every time she avoided the Alpha's claws or wove her way in between a tight cluster of trees, she could still feel the Grimm gaining on her, and her inexperience with her Semblance draining her.

For the split second she shifted her attention away from looking where she was going to contemplate if she could keep going at the rate she was tiring out, she found herself face to face with the mouth of a collapsed cave entrance too massive to avoid.

Skidding to a halt, Opal spun around to see what distance – if any – she still had left between her and the Alpha. With the beast merely a few dozen feet away and making a beeline for her, she made the split-second decision to try and use its momentum against it by running past the Grimm. As her heart seemed to start beating out of her chest and she appeared to have made it by without the Beowolf stopping itself in time to continue its pursuit, she thanked the gods for having given her an opportunity to try and make it back to her parents unharmed.

Sadly, she never got the chance.

Due to the sheer amount of energy she'd spent using her Semblance with no idea as to her own limits, she stumbled as soon as she began her sprint – and that was the only opportunity the Alpha needed to reorient and launch itself off the collapsed cave entrance straight for Opal.

The last thing she _saw_ was the Alpha's claws a mere hair's breadth away from her as it let out a feral snarl. The last thing she _felt_ was the foliage cushioning her fall before the Beowolf's hot breath seemed to hover over her for few moments. The last thing she _heard_ before succumbing to darkness was a vicious roar let out by a familiar voice and the shattering of bone, followed by someone crying her name.

* * *

The first thing Opal noticed as she woke from what she considered to be an unusually deep sleep was the feeling of something tightly wrapped around her lightly throbbing head. Blearily shaking the sleep from her eyes, the exact reason for this feeling became clear. As she turned her head to take in her surroundings, which appeared to be a hospital room of some sort, she found her father and mother at her bedside, her father holding her hand even in the midst of a restless sleep as her mother leaned up against him. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror just behind her parents, she found a large portion of her head bandaged up to hold down one of her feline ears and cover one of her eyes – the faintest hints of blood making themselves known in spots of dark red throughout the tightly-wrapped material.

In that moment, the fog that had made its way into Opal's memory regarding recent events had lifted – her family heading to Lake Matsu, the Grimm attacking her before everything went dark, all of it. It all came rushing back to the forefront of her mind so quickly that she let out a startled gasp as she tried to sit upright, only for a sore groan to erupt from her instead as her muscles refused to comply. Almost as soon as the sound had left her lips, her father began to stir.

"Opal…?" He asked, blinking the sleep from his eyes. "Opal! Peridot, get up, she's awake!" He exclaimed, the sight of his daughter having regained consciousness was like an electric shock that brought awareness in no time at all.

As Opal attempted to sit up once again with a grunt, Beryl stopped her. "Don't move, Opal, let me help." The care he took while helping her into a sitting position made Opal think he was afraid of snapping her in half, as if his daughter was suddenly made of glass.

Waking with a start just as her husband, Peridot gasped at the sight of her daughter and immediately stood to draw her in for a concerned embrace. "Oh, my baby girl…" she choked out into the side of Opal's head that wasn't covered in bandages. "You have no idea how worried we were about you." She finished, placing a motherly kiss on top of her daughter's head before withdrawing back into her seat, sharing in her husband's hold on one of Opal's hands.

"Where… are we?" Opal asked tiredly, rubbing her unbandaged eye with her free hand to try and ward off the drowsiness that she felt. Even though she was aware and cognizant enough to recognize she was in a hospital, there was still a considerable gap in her memory that she couldn't help but feel the need to have filled.

"We're in Anzensei." Beryl answered, his thumb making soothing circles around Opal's hand. "The doctors have told us that you're going to be fine." He continued, "While your ear is going to take some time to heal and it's not going to look quite the same, it'll be as good as new – we just have to be patient." He added, swallowing a lump in his throat as an unspoken addendum fought its way from his lips. "But… they told us that they had to remove your eye. They couldn't save it." He explained remorsefully, his chest tightening as his daughter's free ear lowered like his own as the severity of her father's news sank in.

As Opal's gaze drifted downward, she lost herself in thought. While she remembered the Alpha Beowolf chasing her, how her Semblance bought her some time, and how the last thing she saw was the Grimm leaping towards her, the severity of what had transpired mere hours ago didn't sink in until the grievous nature of her injuries was revealed; however, that wasn't the cause of her silence. She and her father had found patronage in the form of dozens of Huntsmen from Atlas and Mistral alike that'd informed her that, once people moved on from the incident that put them in need of one, Atlesian cybernetics felt no different than whatever they'd be replacing. Knowing how widespread her clan's connections ran throughout the two kingdoms, she wasn't overly concerned about the loss of her eye. No, she was lost in the memory of her guards' final moments before they died to protect her.

While she more than knew that it was her clan's guards' duty to protect her and her parents, she had never expected to be subjected to witnessing their deaths firsthand. The fact she was unable to do anything but watch and run helplessly as so many of the familiar faces she'd come to associate with safety and protection fell only left a pit in her stomach. She didn't need someone to tell her specifics to figure that no small number of their guards had perished trying to save her and her parents, and the fact she couldn't do anything to protect any of them, or her parents, like they protected her haunted the young Faunus – causing the hollow feeling in her stomach to grow ever more disconcerting.

"But, don't worry!" Peridot was quick to add, misinterpreting her daughter's crestfallen expression, "We have enough friends in Atlas to find and deliver a replacement in no time. Your father and I won't rest until you can see out of both eyes again – I promise you that." she assured, giving Opal's hand a reassuring squeeze.

Opal's gaze suddenly shot upwards towards her parents, a panicked expression on her face. "Where's Sandy!?" she nearly shouted, realizing the absence of one of the clan's most integral members, "Is he okay!?"

Opal's heart rate escalated, which was matched beat for beat by the machine monitoring her vitals. Beryl managed to keep Opal from attempting to move by placing his hands firmly on her shoulders before she could hurt herself in her struggles. Looking into his daughter's eyes, he began to speak in a calm, reassuring tone. "Opal, he's fine. Don't worry, it'll-"

"Take a lot more than a few dozen Beowolves and Ursai to take me down." A familiar deep voice finished as Sandy's broad frame stepped into the room. Despite the greater part of his chest and his arms being bandaged up, the prestigious guardian's spirits were only slightly dampened in the wake of recent events.

Peering around her parents, Opal breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Sandy. Despite the bandages covering what would assuredly be no small number of new scars and the way his normally proudly-maintained graying Ronin hairstyle was in disarray, seeing that he'd even survived the attack was something she was already thanking the gods for. "Sandy, I…" She trailed off as Sandy came around to sit on the bed next to her, tears welling up behind her remaining eye.

"You don't have to say anything kid," he said simply, laying a hand gently on her shoulder before she responded anyway.

"Thank you." Opal breathed out, removing herself from her father's grip to pull Sandy in for a crushing hug. Despite the flare of pain and soreness that her vice-like grip caused all over his chest, Sandy merely grunted and returned the gesture just as he had when Beryl and Peridot profusely thanked him for saving their daughter's life. "I- I was so scared, I thought you were going to die when you told us to run, and then I thought _I_ was going to die, and then…" She stopped, shaking her head and letting a few quiet tears begin to roll down her cheeks, her parents watching on as Sandy comforted his young charge, rubbing her back as she wept.

"It's over, Opal. You're safe now." He said softly. He might've been familiar with the rigors of battle after so many years fighting, but that didn't mean he didn't still feel the same fear and sorrow Opal was experiencing now, even after the battle's end. He simply coped in his own way, either quietly or by laughing in the face of death, while for others that needed consoling, he was more than willing to be the sympathetic rock for them to lean on.

"But what about everyone else?" Opal tearfully questioned as she pulled away, holding herself as she remembered all those that she'd seen or heard fall in the carnage. "What about everyone that _died_ to protect us?"

Sandy hesitated to answer, not wanting to discuss with Opal how half of the clan's guards, some being people he'd known since before Opal was even born, died in the battle, not when things were still so fresh in everyone's minds. Beryl and Peridot exchanged a concerned look before her father answered. "Opal… you don't need to worry about that. Things will be back to normal before you know it, I promise you." He comforted, gently gripping her shoulder to draw her attention.

Just as soon as he finished speaking, the younger Faunus looked away from her father, her gaze drifting off into some unknown place. She shook her head. In her mind, going back to normal was tantamount to having let all the guards' lives that were lost to protect her be for nothing. She wasn't about to let so many people's sacrifice be wasted on her simply returning to a life of smithing and crafting in the clan that she was born to inherit – not if she wanted to honor their memory.

"No, it won't." She said, mournfully looking back up at him – and she was right. No matter how hard any of them tried, the souls that were snuffed out that day would leave a hole in their hearts that could never be filled. While some guards came and went over the years, many were members of the clan from birth that simply didn't have what it took to become Huntsmen but wanted to protect their clan anyway. With them gone, the atmosphere and day-to-day affairs back home would be forever changed, and nothing would be quite the same in their absence.

"And what if… what if I don't _want_ things to go back to normal?"

"Opal… what do you mean?" Peridot asked, unable to imagine a reason her daughter wouldn't want things to go back to the way things were.

"I mean… after seeing everyone that died trying to protect us? I… I can't let their lives have been lost for nothing." She said, something akin to survivor's guilt mixed with newfound resolve settling in her chest. "I think that I might want to try and become a Huntress," she nervously proposed, all too prepared for her parents to refuse outright considering what had just happened to her. Though she wasn't one hundred percent certain that she'd even be able to become one if she tried, she had her newly-discovered Semblance, talents in creating weapons, and an unshakable will to at least try to honor the fallen going for her – and maybe that would be enough.

Her parents shared another brief look before responding, an unspoken agreement to support and protect their daughter no matter what on the day she was born coming to mind, but both realizing that they couldn't in good conscious discourage their daughter from pursuing a more noble calling. "Are you sure you would want that Opal? After what you've gone through…" He trailed off, looking at his daughter with no small amount of awe in response to the resolute look on her face.

"I think so," Opal admitted with a small, almost apologetic nod at how she knew her parents would react, "It's the least I can do for them, after what they did for us. For me." She finished, softly touching the bandage where her eye used to be and letting out a deep breath.

Sandy let out a short chuckle before giving Opal a squeeze on the shoulder. "I can't believe I hadn't seen it before Opal, but you've got the heart of a lion in ya – don't let anything ever convince you otherwise." He encouraged, "And if you need someone to throw you some tips, I'd be more than happy to train you." He offered, sparing a glance towards her parents that assured them that if she chose such a path, Opal would be receiving training from only the best.

Before anyone could respond, the sound of hasty and angry footfalls began to sound from the halls outside, followed by the muffled sound of yelling through the door. "Just think about it," he said, rising to his feet and sauntering towards the door. "That's the doctors about to give me an earful. They told me I'm supposed to be on bedrest until further notice," he informed with a dismissive shrug before sneaking out the door. It couldn't have been five seconds before the faint yelling from down the hall grew ever closer to where Sandy had begun walking off to, though no one could discern what was being said.

Sighing and anticipating that he would be needed to wrangle in the doctors' rage at Sandy's refusal to listen, Beryl turned towards Peridot. "Watch her. I'm going to make sure they don't tear him apart," he said tiredly before looking at Opal. "And you get some rest – we'll talk more when you wake up." He half-ordered before giving his daughter a kiss on the forehead.

As he left, and Peridot moved to replace her husband in the seat he once occupied, Opal said nothing as her mother took a hold of her hand in the same way her father had already held it when she woke up. "We'll be right here when you wake up Opal, don't you worry." Her mother promised, convincing Opal enough to finally sink back down into the hospital's bed sheets.

However much energy she had when she woke up seemed all but depleted as she did so, the painkillers being fed to her via IV causing her exposed eyelid to grow heavier by the second. As she drifted back into a comfortable state of unconsciousness, surrounded by the supportive and nurturing presence of her mother, Opal's final thought was that, perhaps she truly could become a Huntress if she tried. Not simply to honor those that had fallen to protect her and her family, but so that she could be the guardian her loved ones would need if they were to ever find themselves in such grave danger again. So long as she still drew breath, she promised herself that much.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** **So, um… yeah. I may or may not have premeditated Opal's origin for how she lost her eye repeatedly even weeks before Iridescence or the ToTI rewrite was a thing, so… if I kinda got carried away in some places with some descriptions, you'll have to understand that I spent a** _ **while**_ **thinking about this chapter even before it existed. Anyway! I hope you enjoyed this little oneshot peering into the past of Opal, because I sure as hell enjoyed writing it – for all the pain and heartache Opal had to (and would continue to) go through to become the Huntress she is today.**

 **Oh, and here's a fun note for ya! Jade Malachite? A carry-over from the original Tale of Team Iridescence, albeit modified to have been a peacock Faunus** – **ergo the symbol on Opal's chest in her commissioned art on my twitter (SpaceCocaine, with a pfp to match if ya didn't know). Not only that, but I just couldn't leave him out of my fanon after everything I went through writing him, so I figured retconning him and elevating him to the position of founder of the Malachite Clan was the least I could do for the guy.**


	3. Volume X: Crystallized

Crystalized:

It'd been weeks since the fateful attack that left Opal and her clan so irreparably damaged, and despite what had occurred, life seemed to be continuing as it always did – but with no small amount of considerable differences. The absence of so many guards after the Grimm's attack had left a hole in many of the clan's members' hearts, and thus the very atmosphere of the clan's ancestral home seemed heavy with mourning that would no doubt continue to hover over the place for weeks and months to come. Talented craftsmen within the clan saw a drop in productivity, trade slowed, and even market sales for what they did manage to produce decreased. The security the clan had felt had been fractured, and though recovery was sure to come, it was clear that even the inner council had been affected, with their members' liveliness and optimism being put to the test as the period of mourning dragged on.

Despite this era of the clan's history being one that would assuredly be remembered as a dark one, there were some changes that carried with them the inklings of a brighter future; namely, the heiress to the clan's training. While it did take some more time to assure her parents that becoming a Huntress was something she _truly_ wanted to do, and not simply an impulse decision brought about by guilt, once they were on board, her training with Sandy began as planned.

It was bitter work, in the beginning. For every triumph in her stance or understanding of combat she made, there were just as many setbacks brought about by her healing process, both mental and physical. While her parents had assured her that a state-of-the-art Atlesian prosthetic would be coming to replace her lost eye, Opal had quickly tired of waiting, knowing that the delicacy involved with its construction meant that it was still weeks away. Despite her parents' pleas for her to simply wait until her prosthetic arrived, their daughter had gone ahead with her physical training – at times even surprising herself with what successes she found.

Although she had long since overcome issues of walking into doorways, picking objects up, and other troubles in her day-to-day life brought on by her newfound lack of depth perception, everything she tried to do was made that slight bit more difficult. To overcome this in her physical training, Opal had instead begun to learn how to rely more on echolocation and her superior sense of balance in combat than sight alone. Despite her only having been practicing such techniques for a few weeks, she was showing signs of ingenuity and adaptability that impressed anyone who witnessed her training. In fact, it wasn't uncommon to see her honing her sense of hearing with Sandy by moving the headband that she'd been using to cover her missing eye so that it functioned as a full-on blindfold – only accelerating her progress in that regard.

Not only was she making strides in terms of recovery physically, but her mental health and fortitude was showing signs of improvement as well. Sanzang not only served as a helping hand in terms of giving Opal some martial arts tips Sandy's size and fighting style simply couldn't provide, but he served as an impromptu counselor of sorts for her as well. By training Opal in the ways of meditation, the two had long since begun healing the scars her guilt over Ka and so many others had inflicted upon her. Not only that, but whenever the young fighter would become frustrated with herself, or crestfallen at a point in her training that she seemed to stop improving, Sanzang's sage advice always served to calm Opal down.

The result of her first few weeks of training was an Opal that was readier than ever before, both physically and mentally, for the more arduous physical training sessions Sandy had in mind for her; after all, she did have a few years of primary combat school to make up for if she wanted to become a Huntress. So it was that Opal and Sandy found themselves training and sparring in the Malachite Clan's central courtyard, exchanging blows with a speed and tenacity that would make onlookers think of the pair as a master and apprentice of years and not mere weeks. After Opal had unleashed a flurry of strikes that Sandy seemed to block with ease, the elder fighter narrowly missed his apprentice in a punch that had forced Opal into a backflip. With the space formed between them too wide for either to dare to cross, the pair found themselves staring one another down, a lull in their match having been formed.

Unlike his young apprentice, Sandy's breaths seemed to come and go with ease, as if he were an opponent Opal couldn't even hope to challenge without giving it her all and then some. "Your footwork is getting better – good job," he began, "keeping yourself light on your feet is the only way you're gonna overpower opponents that are bigger than you, but you still need to work on your form."

If there was anything he knew about people from all the guards he'd had a hand in training, it was that positive reinforcement went a long way to producing genuine improvement in others. Opal especially responded well when she was told when her training payed off, though she still suffered in other areas. Namely, her form in hand-to-hand combat leaving her open to retaliation more times than she was able to defend. While she could do exceptionally well when defending herself via her Aura or with a weapon in hand, her abilities without either of those tools were often lackluster.

Still catching her breath, Opal nodded, but didn't lower her arms. "Right… but don't Huntsmen usually use their _weapons_ to fight? You know how good I am with a katana – I'd be fine, right?" She proposed.

"You need to master your fundamentals before you even think about making a weapon for yourself, kid," Sandy pointed out, "I may not be a Huntsman, but even I know that if you want to become one you need to have mastered your body first. Not just your skills smithing and fighting with a weapon." Sandy readied his fists, striking a new combat stance as he did so. "Again!" He commanded, before charging forward without any further warning.

Still somewhat winded from their last round, but determined to succeed, Opal shook off the fatigue she felt and engaged Sandy. As was customary of their sparring, she could use her Semblance to practice with, but even with the power and speed it bestowed upon her, she still found herself never landing a clean blow on her master. Instead, every punch met Sandy's firm forearms and every kick was swatted away without unbalancing him in the slightest, all the while Opal had to desperately dodge the surprisingly fast retaliation each one of her own failed attacks produced.

The intricate dance between master and apprentice continued on, with Beryl and Peridot Malachite silently observing as they usually did when their training sessions wore on longer than they wished. Beryl's expression always made discernable the pride and awe mixed with trepidation and concern he felt when he watched his daughter. However happy he was to see his only child grow and pursue what she wished to do in life, he was always worried she'd push herself too far and wind up hurting herself with how carried away she could get training. In the past few weeks, there were times her dedication would have her training well into the evening, sometimes needing Sandy to outright order her to give herself a break before she pushed her body past the breaking point. Sanzang had always told him that it was simply her healing, and although her instances of overeager training had diminished with the monk's meditation lessons, Beryl still worried that anyone close to her getting hurt again would just bring back those old habits; and in the world they lived in, he wasn't sure if he could guarantee that wouldn't happen.

Similarly, Peridot shared in her husband's concerns, but still took solace in the fact their daughter was being trained by the best fighter they knew and that her days of fighting Grimm were still far in the future. "Hey," she piped up, leaning over the railing next to her husband, "I know that look on your face."

Beryl shook his head, as if only just re-emerging from a deep thought, but didn't turn to face her. "Hm?"

"You're worried that, with how long they've been going at it, she's going to run herself ragged," she astutely observed. Meanwhile, Sandy had narrowly missed Opal with a left hook, the young Faunus' ponytail taking the hit as she rolled out of the way.

Pigsy cheered from his spot preparing lunch in the outside kitchen next to the couple, and Beryl cringed. "That, or she's going to get herself knocked out."

Peridot shrugged. "Sandy knows what he's doing, and he'll call off the match if he thinks she's reaching her limit." When her husband's ears twitched in a gesture she came to associate with incredulity, she decided to try and distract him. "Besides, even if Opal doesn't hit some breakthrough today, maybe they'll call it quits once they smell what Pigsy's cooking up. I think he's making sushi for lunch."

For the first time, Beryl's gaze turned towards his wife. "You think so?" He asked, familiar with the tactics Peridot employed to make him lose focus but letting himself fall for it all the same.

Peridot chuckled, giving the sparring duo one last look before beginning to saunter over to the sitting area near Pigsy. "She's your daughter, isn't she? You and her are obsessed with that stuff."

The clan leader's ears twitched in annoyance. "You say that as if that's a bad thing. There are worse things to be obsessed with!" He exclaimed, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder towards Sandy and Opal as he followed his wife.

Meanwhile, the master and apprentice's fight was reaching a fever pitch, with neither side backing down and Opal's efforts seemingly forcing Sandy to consider the spar more seriously than any he'd had with her before. Where at the beginning of their new round of sparring he'd been only paying attention to how Opal was more consciously minding her form, to tremendous success, he was now paying attention to her offense itself to prevent her from landing a clean hit on him. Sandy felt pride swell in his chest, realizing how with so much of Opal's form and footwork was in the right place, he could coax a new breakthrough out of her if he simply gave her the final push she needed. As such, once he began to identify a pattern forming in her attacks and saw how her mind momentarily wandered – likely back towards her mantra of how she was doing this for those that they'd lost – he thrust forth an open-palmed strike that Opal only saw moments too late to react.

Opal was sent flying back, skidding on her back against the soft grass for a few moments before flipping and landing on her bottom. Seeing Sandy simply rolling his arms in a way that told her they were taking a more formal break, the young Faunus let herself fall onto her back, letting a few dandelion seeds flutter about her as she closed her eye and sighed at how she'd failed yet again to land a clean blow on him. Next to her, she felt the soft crunching of grass as Sandy sat down cross-legged next to her.

"You know, it took me over 5 years – from your age 'til a little after I met Sanzang – to consider myself ready to start training and fighting with a weapon," he continued, as if he hadn't just stopped their conversation a few minutes ago, "You have the heart of a lion and a lot of potential, sure, but you need to hone it like the weapons you've helped forge."

The apprentice opened her eye and turned her head to look up at the clouds. "But how, though? I've been trying to improve, and I know I have, but every time I see I can't even hit you, I feel… I feel like I'm letting everyone down," she admitted.

"And that's the problem." Opal's gaze turned to look up at Sandy, her head lolling to the side as her expression told him he had her attention. "You're overeager. You're more focused on _why_ you want to become a Huntress than _how_ you're going to get there, and so, you're-"

"Sloppy?" Opal guessed.

"Easy to read," Sandy finished. "You have what it takes to hit me, Opal. Your Semblance lets you amp yourself up – your strength, agility, speed to the point where you can run on walls – like no one else's I've ever heard of. Your Semblance is your best friend, just like you staying light on your feet, but you need to use it _wisely_ ," he advised.

Opal sat up cross-legged, turning her body to face her master. "Instead of toggling it on and off like you described it working back on the way to Anzensei, use it in bursts – your opponent can't counter if they don't even know when you're going to do something more quickly or with more strength than they anticipated." Sandy rose to his feet, holding out a hand to help his apprentice to her feet. "One more time. Again."

Taking ahold of the proffered hand and hoisting herself to her feet, Opal gave a small smile and a nod before creating some space between them and dropping into a combat stance. Her eye narrowed in focus as she planned on making the most of Sandy's advice. "Ready."

Their spar began anew, Opal throwing her heart and soul into her efforts and Sandy now having to focus on their bout with the same regard he'd once held for some of the fights he and the inner council had endured during their nomadic days. No longer was Opal focusing on her form as much as before – though she still could be seen correcting herself every now and again – instead, she was focusing on honing her Semblance into a razor's edge that kept her opponent guessing. Although her refusal to keep her Semblance on for long left her a hair's breadth away from being on the receiving end of a few of Sandy's punches, she felt much less drained the less she relied on her Semblance. Though this was her first attempt at using her Semblance in such a fashion, she was quick to develop a plan to best use the strategy. Not too long after she fell into the rhythm of her newfound plan of attack, one of her sudden uses of her Semblance seemed to have caught Sandy off guard, with Opal landing a clean punch square in her master's jaw before she rolled back to avoid the leg sweep of his that followed.

Sandy rubbed his jaw and let a toothy grin grow on his face. "Nice job," was all he said, motioning for Opal to follow him as he turned to walk towards Pigsy and her parents – their spar having come to its end. While it was true that Opal had landed a blow, what Sandy wouldn't tell his pupil was that, despite having to focus more seriously on their match than before, he actually _let_ that punch through, in hopes that Opal would begin to truly believe in herself and her developing skills. Not only that, but even though her technique of swiftly toggling on and off her Semblance was new to her, and thus somewhat basic in execution, it was clear to Sandy that, given time, her skill with her Semblance would help Opal surpass him after a few more years of experience.

Opal beamed, marveling at her hand and feeling a small surge of newfound self-confidence before she jogged to catch up with Sandy and celebrate her victory. Though both sides of the battle would attest that they had the upper hand more than they would spend time enjoying their meal, a certain energy was felt among the group then that hadn't been felt for some time. It wasn't sheer determination like what Opal had exhumed for weeks, it wasn't the sorrow still felt among many in the clan, it was hope. However minor the victory was that the Huntress-to-be had achieved, it was a spot of light in an otherwise dark time in the Malachite Clan's history, and marked the beginning of what would be an upward swing in the lives of all those within the clan's walls. Though nothing would replace that which had been lost, Opal now held a renewed hope that her efforts would pay off in the end, and a certainty that the future would be almost iridescently bright.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** **Welp… here it is! The follow-up I didn't expect to write but am more than happy I did! Not only did EbonySum (shameless plug – READ HIS STUFF) inspire me to give Opal's rise to becoming a Huntress a bit more of a conflict, but this chapter really did let me explore more of Opal's training and motivations, and her parents' perspectives on things, than I ever thought I would. Despite how making myself love all of these OC's more makes me hurt knowing everything that happens to them in the future, I think that Fractured and Crystalized have done a hell of a lot to improve my little ToTI fanon as a whole. Or I'm just talkin' out my butt. Either is a possibility depending on your point of view.**


	4. Volume 5: A Study in Support

A Study in Support:

"It isn't anywhere near as comprehensive as Haven's library or anything, but… it's still a pretty impressive collection, right?" Opal said, opening the door and stepping into her father's study.

While their time training at the Malachite Clan's ancestral home was as time-consuming and in-depth a process as they'd anticipated, the members of Teams RNJR and Iridescence always still found time to enjoy less demanding activities. For Ruby, it was reading comic books, and for Opal, it was finding someplace Lux hadn't yet seen in her home that she could show him around – and if they so happened to stumble across complete privacy at the same time, it was all the better for them. Thus, when both Opal and her boyfriend managed to both have some spare time on their hands, the Huntress-in-training was more than happy to find somewhere to spend some time with Lux in.

Upon crossing the threshold into her father's study, Lux simply let out an impressed whistle at the sight of the bookshelves – some so high they needed a ladder to have their top shelves reached. "Impressive? Yeah, that's one word for it." He said with a small chuckle. "So, I'm guessing this is where you're gonna sneak off to when you wanna write in your journal now?" He guessed, trailing behind Opal up the short few steps that led up to the study's desk.

When Opal didn't give him a response and instead crossed her arms as she leaned back against the desk with a small smile on her face, he continued. "I mean, it would be a pretty fitting place for the illustrious leader of the Malachite Clan to find some privacy, am I right?"

"Oh hush," Opal said, playfully pushing on his chest while trying – and failing – to put on a displeased look on her face. "You know for a fact that no one even in the clan has changed how they look at me since I became leader," a pause, "but to answer your question… maybe." She finally answered, lolling her head from side to side for a moment in thought.

The smile that crossed Lux's face in response to seeing Opal relaxing instead of training for once didn't disappear in response to her answer, but it did shrink slightly. If there was one thing he learned about Opal and her mannerisms, it was that her lolling her head about before answering someone meant she was in deep thought; and, given the context of the conversation, it didn't take Lux long to realize the reason behind the time it took her to answer.

"Why not? I don't think your dad would be against it – it'd be a shame for this place to just gather dust, y'know? Besides," he began, leaning next to Opal and looking into her eyes, "I think your parents would be proud to see you taking the reins of this old place. It's the least you could do for yourself after all you've done for the gang."

"Yeah…" Opal responded distantly, gently brushing past her boyfriend and walking towards a nearby bookshelf.

As she reached her destination and showed no signs of continuing speaking, Lux stood up from his position nearby the desk – his smile vanishing in a moment, and an expression of quiet concern taking its place. While he was sure that Opal wasn't about to sink quietly back into the self-destructive training regimen that accompanied her isolating herself in the aftermath of her parents' deaths, his thoughts still drifted back towards how to best remedy the situation. Those short few weeks ago that Jaune came to him and revealed the reason that Opal was being so distant to her own team, he and Aurora had spent the better part of a day giving all the support they could to Opal, so that she'd quit hurting herself in some twisted attempt to prevent her loved ones from getting hurt again. While they had been successful, and Opal returned to her normal self shortly thereafter, there was still a residual sting that always threatened to tug at her heartstrings whenever her late parents came up in conversation.

Chastising himself for not being more delicate than he was, Lux closed the gap between them and gently grabbed onto Opal's hand, a look of concern crossing his face as he did so. "Hey," he softly began as he turned her around, "I thought you were done beating yourself up about that?"

Opal took a moment to respond, taking in a steadying breath to fight back the stirrings of tears welling up behind her eyes. "I am, it's just…" She stopped, her feline ears drooping as she stroked Lux's hand before letting go entirely. "There's a lotta memories here, you know? Of being with my dad… him teaching me things about metals and making things since before I could even think about working alongside him…" She said fondly, one of her hands brushing across a book that still held one of her bookmarks within it from what felt like years ago. "Being here again just hit a little harder than expected, is all." She finished, turning back to Lux with a subdued sniffle.

Despite the reassurance that she wasn't about to back to being self-destructive and distant from everyone, he wasn't about to leave things at that. Being told that she was going to be fine was one thing, but Lux's heart still ached to see his girlfriend in any sort of emotional pain.

Taking one of her hands back into his and giving it a reassuring squeeze, Opal's ears and gaze perked up to meet her teammate and boyfriend's eyes. "I said it once, I'll say it again – I'll always be here for you when you're having a bad day." He said softly, watching closely as her expression softened somewhat. "Remember on the way to Higanbana? How me and Aurora basically gave you a therapy session?"

"Of course, how could I not? We didn't make any progress on the road that whole day."

"And remember what happened when we both started tearing up?" He inquired with a fond expression on his face, hoping what came next would help her begin to shake off the sorrowful mood that'd infected her.

"Yeah. You came over and hugged me and told me that you wouldn't rest until you were sure I was whole again." Opal answered, a small smile tugging on her lips.

"And I'm still not going to." He said, kissing the top of her head as she rested her chin on his shoulder, her arms having wrapped themselves around his chest in a hug while he wasn't paying attention to anything other than her brilliant green eyes.

As the distinct ache of grief that'd worked its way into Opal's chest subsided and she simply let herself be lost in the embrace of his arms, a wave of warmth born from Lux's comforting kiss made its way through her body from the tips of her ears down to her toes. As Lux's lips left the top of her head, she couldn't help but let out a satisfied hum, realizing soon after that her boyfriend would happily stay standing there with her for as long as she wished. Despite the simplicity of the gesture, the meaning behind it brought her back to a time when the world made sense and she didn't have anything to worry about other than her studies at Beacon, her family, and her team. Thus, when she finally looked up and found Lux's eagle eyes looking at her with the same genuine expression that helped make her fall for him in the first place, she felt nothing but peace.

"Thank you, Lux. For everything." She said, not feeling the slightest urge to remove herself from his embrace anytime soon. "Do you think Tenebris and Pigsy would mind if we came to dinner late? I just… don't really want this moment to end, as cliché as that sounds." She asked, knowing that Lux's brother would likely be cooking up a storm by now alongside the clan's own legend of a chef.

"Your place – I don't see why taking some time to yourself would be a problem." He answered kindly, smiling not only at the prospect of having some more time to relax alone with Opal, but the chance to make her happy simply by being there for her. Even though reality would come crashing down upon them the moment they left the room and rejoined the rest of the world, the idea of letting all that fall by the wayside, if only for a little while, held more appeal to him than anything else at present.

And so, a few hours later, once Tenebris and Aurora had eaten their fill and found their missing teammates ensconced in one another's arms, fast asleep on one of the study's couches, the two single members of Iridescence had the good sense to leave their friends be. It may have been only a brief reprieve from the grim reality of the world they lived and fought in, but it was one that neither of them had the heart to impede on – even if such an intrusion would've brought them no end of laughter and fuel for teasing Lux and Opal for weeks to come.

* * *

 **Author's **N** ote: So... my first published fic that isn't in my typical niche style since... well, since my deleted one-chapter-long experiment prior to MoMO, and I'm feeling pretty good about it! Once I accepted that I was gonna just let this oneshot be a oneshot - and not some in-depth rewriting of ToTI - I think that just writing such a simple and mush-filled scene such as this became one heck of a lot easier! That, and I'd been running myself up a wall at my continued cowardice when it came to showing how Lux and Opal typically interact; or at least, in a situation such as this.**


	5. Volume 5: Food for Thought

Food for Thought:

Aurora let out a long exhale as her and Lux's latest exchange of blows came to an end. "And that'll be it for today – you're picking up quarterstaff combat almost as quick as martial arts, but… you've still got a ways to go." She said, extending a hand to help her blonde-haired teammate up from his spot on the ground.

Lux took the proffered hand and heaved himself up with a grunt. "Yeah, who could've guessed that going toe-to-toe with a prodigy in staff combat would end with me on my butt every time we spar?" He said, dusting off his pants and putting his own weapon away on a nearby rack.

While it was true that Lux had been more than a studious learner when it came to Sanzang's style of martial arts and that he was somewhat naturally talented when it came to fighting with a staff, his skills always paled in comparison to his teammate-turned-tutor's – not that it was unexpected. With Aurora possessing years of training and nothing but time to hone her skills, it wasn't like he was expecting to even land a blow on her, but it did always momentarily irk him that for every few steps forward he was making, his sparring partner had been growing just as much, if not more so. Lux never held it against her though, even when he grew frustrated or it wounded his pride – they were on the same side, and had always had each other's backs, after all.

"Oh stop." Aurora said, clapping him on the shoulder as she put away her own staff and joined him on the short trip back indoors. "You're a master marksman trying to learn how to fight up-close against someone who's been training at it her whole life – while you might not be knocking me flat or anything, you're not exactly slacking off when it comes to how fast you're improving."

"Fair enough. But when do I start not winding up on the ground at the end of our matches?" Lux asked.

"When you learn how to keep track of both sides of your enemy's weapon." She said, bumping into his shoulder as she recalled how she'd caught him off-guard with the momentum either side of her weapon could carry when he wasn't looking.

"Yeah, I'll work on that. For now though, I'm gonna go nurse my wounds. See you at lunch?" He said, rubbing a sore spot on his shoulder as they parted ways.

"Sure thing, drama queen." She teased, giving him a short wave goodbye before sauntering towards the intoxicating smell of food drifting from the kitchen.

When she arrived a few moments later, she was greeted by the increasingly familiar sight of Tenebris hard at work in the kitchen. Despite having the most hands-on and intensive training out of any of their team – constantly working to improve his defense even while armorless - he could still often be found in the kitchen, working tirelessly to improve his culinary skills – not that it surprised anyone that knew him. If there was anything people knew about the taller of the Vacuo twins, it was that his passion for becoming a Huntsman was only matched by his love of food; as a result, within mere hours of meeting the Malachite Clan's resident master chef, Pigsy, Tenebris had practically leapt at the opportunity to learn more about the culinary arts.

"Done sparring already? Or did you knock Lux out by accident?" Tenebris asked, not looking up from his work cutting up a myriad of vegetables as a smirk crossed his face.

"Ouch – you think so little of me?" She said, a hand over her heart. "No, I just figured I should let him off the hook after knocking him on his butt three times today. You know how he can get if he feels he's making no progress." She continued with a dismissive wave.

Lifting the cutting board and swiping its contents into a large pot, Tenebris gave the mixture a quick stir and wiped his hands, before he turned to face his blue-haired teammate. "True," he agreed, "Where is he, anyway? I know RNJR is busy training with Ozpin and Qrow, and Opal's in her study, but lunch is gonna be ready soon and I'd rather people taste my food warm."

Aurora didn't miss a beat before answering. "Knowing your brother? He'll probably be with Opal right about now, so I wouldn't worry about him and Opal going missing again." She said, her mind wandering back to memories of the early days of Iridescence, when the two Faunus could hardly look one another in the eye without getting on each other's nerves. Despite their rough start, Aurora couldn't help but be glad Opal had finally found someone to balance out her dedication to becoming a Huntress. While she held nothing but sympathy towards her best friend regarding her motives for wanting to become a Huntress, she also knew from experience that Opal could get a tad carried away in her training – case in point, her self-imposed and extremely taxing training regimen after the fall of Beacon.

So, even though Opal's infatuation with Lux, and vice versa, left her with two less teammates to hang out with some days, it was something Aurora was more than happy to live with. Not only that but, unbeknownst to her, Tenebris shared a similar view of the blossoming romance between their team leader and his brother – that as good as Lux was to Opal, she was to him. While he didn't know just how carried away Opal could get during training, he did know firsthand just how reckless his brother was before he met Opal, and was more than thankful to see that his brother had reeled in his self-endangering style of combat as their at-first lukewarm friendship grew into something more. The two of them were good for each other, and neither of their teammates were about to get in the way of that; besides, it wasn't like Aurora and Tenebris found each other as anything but good company.

Leaning to gain a better view of the pot behind Tenebris' tall form, Aurora finally got to see what her friend was hard at work making. "Noodles huh? Trying to copy one of Pigsy's recipes?" She asked, remembering how everyone that hadn't known Pigsy beforehand practically had stars in their eyes when they first tasted his cuisine.

Tenebris turned back around, once again nursing the noodles as they cooked. "Kind of. I'm using the basic broth and noodles that Pigsy's recipe calls for, but I'm sort of just… experimenting with most of the other ingredients." He said with a shrug. "Wanna be my guinea pig?"

Aurora rested her chin in her hand for a moment before answering. "Gee, try something that smells delicious before anyone else gets to taste it, or sit around doing nothing for the next few minutes? Sure, I'll try it." She said facetiously, motioning Tenebris to step aside as he merely rolled his eyes.

Giving the dish a taste, Aurora's tongue was set alight with the seamlessly blended flavor's Tenebris' experiment. Granted, the noodles needed some more time before they were ready, and some of the vegetables within the meal had only scarcely begun to cook, but for merely the broth alone to have been as flavorful as Pigsy's – if not more so – was nothing but astonishing in her eyes.

The purple-haired wielder of Boomstick merely gave an appreciative nod at her reaction. "I take it that this attempt at improvising wasn't entirely a failure, then?" He said hopefully, tasting the broth himself. While he was willing to give himself the benefit of the doubt as to his skills in simpler dishes, he was his own worst critic when it came to his attempts at making something new – thus, having his culinary skills validated was always something he more than appreciated.

Aurora let out a laugh. "A failure? I'm pretty sure even Pigsy or Opal would be impressed by this! You sure that being a chef isn't your true calling?" She said as she reeled in her chuckles.

A small smile crossed Tenebris' lips at her praise as he continued monitoring his newfound success-in-the-making. "Well, since we've gotten here, honestly? I've been considering it as a fallback option – though I can't imagine giving up on being a Huntsman." He began, Aurora now leaning back against the countertop.

"Though not because I'm worried about what anyone would think," he quickly added, "it's just that… it's the only thing I've ever really dreamed of doing, you know? I'm sure you can relate."

"Well… yeah. I kinda figured that – you and Lux did basically flat-out tell us that being raised by Huntsmen parents made you idolize the job." Aurora shrugged, knowing that her teammate simply needed a few moments to gather his thoughts. Tenebris was talented in both social situations and combat, but that didn't mean he always knew exactly what to say when he wanted to talk about touchier subjects.

As the noodles finished cooking, Tenebris kept the burner on low to keep the food warm before he joined his teammate at the table. "It's not just that. Sure, Mom and Dad were basically superheroes to us when we were little but… I think a part of me and Lux just always knew that this life was for us."

Now that was something that piqued Aurora's interest. Despite the twins' brief recounting of how their parents had inspired them to become Huntsmen themselves when their team first formed, Opal and Aurora both had largely been left to merely speculate what other motives their teammates had in the months that followed. In the end, when no more details of their past cropped up, the two Huntresses-in-training settled on the mutual theory that Lux and Tenebris were simply rather protective of those they were close to – and that becoming Huntsmen was simply the logical next step for them to have each other's backs. After all, it wasn't like their parents could even be around all the time thanks to their own missions carrying them around Vacuo.

"What do you mean?" Aurora gently inquired. If there was any opportunity to find out more about the twins' past than what Opal told her from her conversations with Lux, now was the time.

"What I mean is that everyone in my family has always looked out for one other. It didn't matter if Mom and Dad were around or if me and Lux were off in the city trying to scrape together some Lien – we always protected each other." As he gazed into the cup of tea he had been neglecting while he cooked, a far-off look crossed his face. "Couple that with what our parents did for a living and well… it was better than fighting for scraps when they had a run of bad luck on a few missions."

The blue-haired prodigy leaned over the table and placed her hands on top of his. "Hey. I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories-"

"No, no," Tenebris intruded, "I just got lost in thought is all. You ever hear how me and Lux discovering our Semblances convinced us we basically _had_ to become Huntsmen?" His attention had returned to his teammate, a smile tugging at his lips as he remembered how much of a team mom Aurora could be sometimes.

Despite having hoped to learn more about her teammates' past, Aurora was still momentarily surprised at how Tenebris had chosen now of all times, after having known and fought alongside each other for months, to give greater detail about his and his brother's past. Brushing aside her shock, Aurora answered. "No actually, I haven't. You sure you want to tell me about it?" She asked cautiously, just in case the memory was something he'd rather not remember.

Tenebris shrugged. "Well it's nothing bad – at least, not how it turned out."

"Well that's good to hear." She said, leaning back into her chair and motioning for him to continue.

"Since we're getting close to lunch, I'll try to keep it brief," he began, "So, Mom and Dad were having a run of pretty bad luck a few months before we applied to Beacon, right? Money was tight, and Lux and I were in the middle of experimenting with making some weapons for ourselves, so our parents could teach us something more than the basics of being Huntsmen."

Remembering how reckless Lux was when she first met him in the Emerald Forest, Aurora sighed. "Why do I get the feeling that Lux is a big part of this story?" She said hesitantly, wincing in anticipation of whatever revelation awaited her.

Tenebris pointed at her. "Oh, he is – but so was I, really. Me and him were both gutted when Mom told us we couldn't afford the final parts for our weapons we needed, so what did we plan to do? Instead of me taking another beating at the bar in a brawl once they were gone, we planned a bit of a heist against this real piece of work named Jupiter's weapons delivery. Long story short – we got caught thanks to a wolf Faunus sniffing us out," he said, remembering in detail how his heart had leapt to his chest once they'd been found out and been forced to take cover behind some of the crates in Jupiter's warehouse in a desperate attempt to hide.

While she wasn't naïve enough to believe that the twins had the financial smarts to have acquired all the pieces of their weapons legitimately, she was still caught off guard by Tenebris' casual admittance to attempted robbery. Though such things were commonplace in Vacuo, part of her wished to believe her teammates had been an exception to the rule. "I'm guessing this is where your Semblances came in to save your lives?" She said with a sigh, brushing aside her momentary disdain for Tenebris' actions once she remembered how rough she'd heard life in Vacuo could be.

"Yep. Dad had given me some tips on how to throw a good punch on someone who wasn't expecting it, and with how we were basically screwed if we didn't escape, I wound up punching that poor wolf-guy to the other side of the warehouse before he knew what hit him." What Tenebris didn't mention was how Lux's encouragement and belief that his brother could knock out their adversary in one punch might've very well been the only reason his Semblance cropped up when it did. Tenebris might not have been a glory hound, but he didn't feel the need to include that detail in his recounting of that night.

"We were blown away when that happened, so instead of bolting for the door when we had the chance, we ended up getting pinned down by Jupiter and his goons' gunfire. Eventually, Lux came up with the plan to try and use my strength to toss one of the crates we were hiding behind at them before we'd make a break for the door with our loot – and _then_ Lux's Semblance stole the show." He said with a fond smile. "When we both pushed on the crate, that thing freaking flew, and I mean _flew_ , headfirst into Jupiter's face along with like, nearly every other box we were hiding behind. We didn't stick around to find out what happened, but I remember hearing that Jupiter was going _nuts_ when he woke up and saw we got away." He finished, giving Aurora a moment to process how close her friends were to having their lives snuffed out mere months before she met them.

Rubbing her eyes, Aurora finally looked Tenebris dead in the eyes and shook her head slightly. "You and him have to be the most insane people I've ever met, you know that?" She said as she tried, and failed, to stay annoyed at one of her closest friends.

The bruiser of Team Iridescence merely sat back in his seat and set aside his now-cold tea. "Maybe. But if we didn't take that chance to get what we needed to become Huntsmen, we wouldn't have ever even met, now would we?" Aurora only rolled her eyes half-heartedly in response. "How'd you discover your Semblance anyway?" he inquired, "You never told me."

Though Aurora wasn't quite done with Tenebris yet, she decided to wait to give him a piece of her mind until Lux was around. Though she wasn't about to pick a fight with them over something they did in the past that she entirely understood and empathized with, she was still going to make sure the two of them understood that if they ever did something so reckless again, there would be _hell_ to pay.

Filing away those plans for later, she held up a tear-shaped pendant made of the same metal she manipulated in battle and provided him the same true answer she told everyone that asked. "Training. I wanted to become a Huntress to be known for something other than my clan name, and one day when I was practicing with Sapphire, I wound up pulling this thing towards me. It's just an ancestral pendant that's more sentimental value than anything finely crafted, but I like to carry it around to remind myself where I started." She said confidently, before covering her valued necklace up again with her shirt.

Tenebris pouted. "Well that's boring."

"And you had to be saved by the bell when you decided to rob someone in Vacuo without any weapons." Aurora retorted.

"Touché," he conceded, "But you've got to admit, at least the two of us had some kind of control as to when our Semblances cropped up – Opal never really got that chance, and she was thrown into the fire before even deciding to become a Huntress, you know?"

Aurora grimaced slightly – he did make a fair point. While she had brought about her Semblance through training, and he and Lux had more or less discovered theirs out of a necessity brought about by their own decisions, Opal's Semblance had emerged the same day she'd lost her eye and part of one of her ears. While she'd long since told Aurora and Lux, and Lux had informed his brother with Opal's blessing, the knowledge that the friend she often likened to a sister nowadays had gone through a living nightmare that even her Semblance hadn't saved her from always left a pit in her stomach.

"Oh, I know. But how about we change the subject? I don't really like talking about that part of Opal behind her back – it just feels like something she should be here to talk about, you know?" She admitted, letting out a sigh of relief as Tenebris gave a shrug of agreement.

"What part of Opal are we talking about?"

Tenebris and Aurora's cries of shock would have woken up even a hibernating bear as Lux butted in on their conversation, the man himself rounding the corner only a moment or two after his teammates began to reel in their surprise.

"Lux, jeez!" Tenebris said, letting go of his chest before running a hand through his hair. "Do we have to put a bell on you or something?" He exclaimed, shooting an incredulous look at his twin brother, still shocked by his ability to creep up on them with neither one of them hearing him coming.

"What? Opal's been teaching me a thing or two about subtlety! In case you haven't noticed, we don't spend _all_ our time flirting – just most of it." Lux said with a grin. "But seriously, what were you guys just talking about? Because it sounded like-"

"Doesn't matter!" Aurora interrupted, her heart still racing in her chest. "I was actually just gonna come looking for you. Please, pull up a chair, I wanted to talk to you and Tenebris before lunch."

As Lux only gave a confused look towards his equally unaware brother before sitting down, Aurora internally applauded herself for turning what could've been a painfully awkward situation into a convenient opportunity for her to confront her teammates about what she thought of their long-since-past 'heist.' "Now, about that heist you guys tried to pull on Jupiter…" She began, a look on her face that betrayed none of the wrath of the gods that was about to fall onto the luckiest – or unluckiest – twins to have ever been born.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** **So… yeah. I never really did figure out a place to reveal how everyone in Iridescence discovered their Semblances, and with how much I loved writing 'A Study in Support' I figured I'd give another casual scene of the team's a shot! Though it's most assuredly not the best piece of third-person writing you'll ever find on this site, I like to think that it's still a step in the right direction for my characterizing of Team Iridescence. Oh, and depending on how things go, I may even wind up attempting to give a certain member of Iridescence a oneshot all their own detailing their origins! Three guesses as to who it is – though I imagine anyone reading this would probably only need one. Subtlety in my hints isn't quite my strong suit, after all.**

 **Edit: So… after re-reading Fractured, and some soul-searching via a conversation with EbonySum concerning realism, I decided to make a follow-up to Fractured featuring Opal's training days prior to meeting Aurora or anything like that. My apologies for uploading outta order, I didn't mean to, but I thought that going back and keeping the chronological organization of Iridescence's oneshots was as important as uploading the Fractured follow-up itself. Happy reading!**


	6. Volume 6: Brunswick Farms

Brunswick Farms:

If there was anything Team Iridescence had come to understand about their place in the world of Remnant, it was that life was rarely straightforward. From the sudden fall of Beacon, to Arach and Tyrian's ambush, to the attack on Haven, the four young Huntsmen-in-training had long since learned and come to terms with the fact that some things in life simply required patience. However, there was a fine line between patience in the face of adversity and patience with the sheer absurdity that had only recently made itself known.

Everyone in Iridescence had managed to set aside their annoyance when Ozpin had revealed how the Relic they'd been escorting to Atlas attracted Grimm towards them, sure. That didn't mean that when faced with a train crash unintentionally caused by the Grimm lured in by the Relic that their limits wouldn't become clear. In the wake of their most recent turn of events, the tension between the students and Ozpin concerning his endless secrets and half-truths reached their boiling point. Despite Aurora's best efforts to mediate the situation, all while reeling in her own negative emotions, the conversation the young two teams were having with their mentor quickly escalated into a full-blown argument regarding Ozpin's continued lack of transparency.

Not only was the conflict itself emotionally taxing enough on everyone present, alongside the discovery of an elderly woman that needed their protection named Maria Calavera, but the entire confrontation came to a climax when Oscar revealed to everyone how to summon Jinn – the Relic of Knowledge's spirit made manifest. Soon after, Ruby had asked the spirit to tell them what Ozpin was hiding, and the entirety of Ozpin's past and his conflict with Salem was revealed. All of them had then become privy to knowledge of Ozpin, who would've done anything to keep the past they discovered buried, with the most important thing they learned being the fact that Salem simply _couldn't_ be destroyed. The fallout that resulted when everyone learned their struggles seemed to have been for nothing was immense, leading their ancient mentor to lock himself away within the head of his most recent host after even his most loyal ally, Qrow, disowned him.

It'd been hours since then, and the band of warriors – plus their newfound elderly charge – had taken refuge from the blizzard that'd befallen them in Brunswick Farms. Despite the discovery of the farms' denizens all having died with seemingly no cause, the whiteout conditions outside forced the group to hunker down for the night to wait out the storm. With the bodies' discovery still fresh in everyone's minds, most of them had chosen to split up, being advised by Qrow to travel with at least one partner until they could confirm there was no immediate threat. Iridescence was the first to excuse themselves, settling on the idea that they should keep watch for Grimm in case the Relic's allure proved to become an issue again, before promptly leaving behind the rest of the group in favor of processing the day's events on their own.

The room Iridescence found themselves in was one of the only ones in the house lacking in corpses. It was obvious that it once served as a more private study than the library on the ground floor, and thus likely saw a great deal of use in the farms' heyday. Now it, much like the rest of the rooms, was covered in a thick layer of dust due to its disuse. As the team settled in to begin their watch, Tenebris set Boomstick aside before sliding down to the floor to join his weapon.

"I can't believe that Ozpin's been such a fool all this time." He bitterly chuckled out, shaking his head as he stared off nowhere in particular.

Sitting down on the desk nearby, Aurora turned to consider her teammate. "What do you mean?" She inquired. While she fully expected a great deal of bitterness and hurt in her teammates to linger considering what they'd learned about their mentor, that didn't mean she could read their minds when it came to complex issues such as these. In fact, with how her own head was still spinning regarding what Jinn had told them, she considered herself lucky to be cognizant enough to register Tenebris' remark.

"I mean, what kind of leader tries to get people to keep going and guide them when even they don't have a game plan?" He explained, turning to face Aurora as he threw his hands up. "You can't exactly win a war when you're just throwing bodies at the enemy in hopes that something sticks."

"And who says he's doing that because it's all he's been able to come up with?" She countered, "I see what he's been doing as the only thing he has left to do – he's had centuries, maybe even _millennia_ , to try everything. I don't think he's just throwing darts at a board in hopes something happens just because he never had any other ideas, I think he's just… run out."

"So, what? Does that mean I shouldn't be pissed that he's been throwing us into the fray even though we literally _can't_ win?" Tenebris scoffed.

"No, I'm not saying that," Aurora conceded, "I'm not happy about that either, but I'm just trying to make sure we aren't making Ozpin's faults out to be worse than they really are."

At that, Lux turned from his spot staring off into the storm on the windowsill to enter the conversation. "Ok, I'll give you that, but…" He trailed off, rubbing his eyes and letting out a sigh. "I'm tired. Tired of living in a world where the other ninety percent of humanity still hates Faunus for even existing." He confessed, "And you guys remember the part where Jinn mentioned the Faunus, right? We existed so far back as Ozpin's second life and he did _nothing_ about how we were caged up like animals. He might be willing to have us fight his battles, but he sure isn't looking to promote harmony like the God of Light told him he should be."

From below, Opal finally snapped shut her journal with a _click_. "He's right," she agreed, "Ozpin isn't just responsible for everything his war with Salem has done to us, but he's also responsible – at least in part – for the treatment of the Faunus because he did nothing. Think of what the world would look like if the White Fang didn't even have a reason to exist?" She proposed, her mind wandering to the numerous 'what-ifs' that could've played out if Ozpin had simply tried to improve human-Faunus relations over his countless lives.

Not only would the White Fang's radical sects not even exist as they did today, but so much of the lives of those closest to Iridescence would've been different. To start, Lux's mother wouldn't have had to fight tooth and nail every time they encountered someone from Atlas to get them to cooperate. Though Platina and Slate Griseo rarely left the borders of Vacuo for their missions, on the rare occasion they did wind up traveling to Atlas, their missions' chances at success would often be marred by the bigotry and vitriol many in the industrialized nation held against Faunus. Then there was Adam Taurus – in another time, Yang might've still had both of her arms if it wasn't for Ozpin's inaction, and Blake could very well have been living a life that wasn't ruled by the world's perception of _what_ she is instead of _who_ she is.

To top it all off, although Opal and the Malachite Clan's prestige had shielded her from the contempt some of humanity held for the Faunus, she wasn't entirely exempt from the hate, either. She could recall quite a few times that she, her parents, and her clan had endured hecklers among the crowds of Mistral for simply being a clan that comprised of both Faunus and humans. Though those instances were few and far between, they were still part of her childhood, and although she rarely let them bother her, it was still an ever-present reminder of how a great deal of the world still saw her kind as a nebulous 'them' instead of humanity's equals.

Tenebris stayed silent – his mind wandering to the days he and Lux had wandered the streets of Vacuo. The biggest thing that decided how a person was received was if that person was strong enough to survive, sure, but that didn't mean there weren't rare occasions in which his mother and brother were harassed by outsiders for what they were. As such, he was more than familiar enough with the 'what-ifs' Opal had implied to be left in agreement with her remark. From the way Aurora's shoulders fell and her gaze drifted downward, though, it was clear that she was only just beginning to entertain the same in-depth thought process as Opal.

"I understand you're upset, but I think that even without Ozpin's help, things _have_ been getting better," Aurora asserted, "Think about it – Mistral beginning to respect Faunus these past few weeks and Blake's dad retaking control of the fight for Faunus equality are proof of that. It's just… gonna take some time until the rest of the world realizes what everyone back in Mistral is starting to."

From the look Opal and Lux shared before the ninja looked back to her friend with a shrug, it was clear that the two Faunus of the group were willing to at least entertain Aurora's perspective on the matter. The blue-haired fighter responded with an appreciative nod. "You guys don't have to be okay with how the Faunus are treated nowadays – I'm always gonna have your guys' backs when it comes to that stuff – but I figured having some hope is better than staying negative and making ourselves easier for the Grimm to find."

"Besides," she continued, "Are we really going to be so angry at Ozpin over this that we'd be willing to ditch getting the Relic to safety? If we did that, we'd be just as responsible as Ozpin for whatever Salem does next, right?" she proposed.

"She does have a point." Tenebris begrudgingly agreed. However angry he and the rest of Iridescence was at Ozpin for using them as his latest pawns in his eternal war against Salem, it was clear in his eyes that there wasn't any reason to give up now. If they did, then they'd be no better than those under Salem's command – effectively handing one of the Relics over to the master of the Grimm after so many of their predecessors had fought and bled to keep them safe. "Ozpin may be a bastard, but at least he's on our side. Or at the very least, not actively working against us."

Opal lolled her head from side to side before answering. While she was still angry at Ozpin for his deception, lack of a plan, and seeming disregard for the Faunus' fight for equality, she wasn't about to throw humanity under the bus due to the actions of a single, foolish old man. "True," she said with a sigh, "I guess the mission continues as planned. Lux?" She asked. While she was more than sure Lux would be on the same page as his team on the matter of Ozpin, it didn't hurt to ask and make sure.

To her surprise, Lux let out a huff and returned to staring out the window without a word, looking as though he couldn't find it in himself to even respond. After a few moments and a few confused glances exchanged between the other three members of Iridescence, Lux let out a deep sigh through his nose, closed his eyes, and let his head fall back against the wall of the windowsill with a dull _thud_. "Sure," he finally assented.

Sharing a look with his brother, Opal rose from her spot on the floor to join her teammate on the windowsill. While she was willing to believe her own assumption that Lux was simply as drained as the rest of their party after everything that'd happened, she wasn't about to leave her partner be until she was sure he was fine. "Lux… look at me," she began gently, loosely taking one of Lux's hands into her own, "What's wrong?"

At the sound of the concern in her voice reaching him, the eagle-eyed sharpshooter opened his eyes and let his gaze fall to meet Opal's. It was as if the events of the day had drained all the energy out of him, and he was but a husk of his normal lively self, with even the comfort Opal's presence ordinarily provided him all but gone. "I don't know, it's just… the sooner we get moving, the better. Maybe seeing those bodies… maybe it just got to me. You guys don't see things as clear as I do – dead bodies aren't pretty to look at, and that's if you don't have eagle eyes like me, y'know?" He offered, not even sure himself what had gotten into him, but nonetheless trying to come to a reasonable conclusion so the concern that had furrowed his girlfriend's brow would smooth out before long.

Without any reason to believe that he wasn't telling the truth, Opal was willing to believe Lux's line of reasoning. Contrary to popular belief, her cybernetic eye lacked any 'additional' features such as infrared sight or magnification, as Ruby had excitedly assumed when they had first met, and thus, Opal had no reason to contest Lux's reaction. To be truthful, the brief glimpse she'd caught of the cold-preserved bodies was enough to ruin her mood even without the revelations concerning Ozpin, so she wasn't going to push the matter further. What she was planning on doing, however, was sticking at Lux's side for as long as it took to shake him out of this funk he found himself in. In the aftermath of her parents' deaths – when she was caught in the throes of her own self-destructive behavior – Lux had been there for her, and so it was the least she could do to return the favor when he seemed to be having an off day.

Before she could make her plan for the duration of their stay at the farm clear, though, the sound of hurried footfalls scurrying up the stairs snapped all four members of Iridescence to attention, every one of them leaping to their feet. Since they hadn't quite been keeping a vigilant watch for Grimm during their conversation, they all found their hands reflexively moving towards their weapons, having assumed the worst. Their fears vanished soon enough though, once Ruby Rose had burst through the door with the most animated and elated expression they had seen on her face since before the train crash. Nestled in her arms was over a dozen cans of food, and if there was one thing that could cheer the young leader of RWBY up, it was having something to eat.

"Guys! We found food!" Her high-pitched voice elatedly threw out, throwing and nearly decking Opal in the head with a can she barely had time to react to in her excitement.

Catching the can and turning it around to see what exactly the contents of the thing were, Opal allowed herself a small smile. "Thanks, Ruby. I was really in the mood for… canned beans," she deadpanned.

Ruby gave a shrug as she began tossing the rest of Iridescence's share of the canned goods towards them, this time with considerably more care. "Well, I know it's not much, but… I tried to give you guys the good stuff! Since you guys are taking turns keeping watch and all." She said, readjusting the remaining cans cradled in her arms.

"Thanks for that, by the way," Weiss said, appearing and disappearing from behind Ruby at the door frame so quickly that Opal was left wondering if she was even there to begin with.

Looking around at what Ruby had given them out of what she and Weiss had found, Tenebris gave a shrug. "Eh, I can work with this. Besides, I've seen and tasted worse," he stated, leaving Ruby and Opal to exchange a curious look and a shrug. Tossing the can of greens the sniper-scythe wielder had given him from hand to hand, he turned to face Lux, who was still inspecting his own share of the plunder. "Remember those jellied eels Dad brought back from work one time? How he tricked us into trying it by telling us it was just canned fish?" He smiled, fondly remembering how he and his brother had taken the bait despite their mother's warnings.

Aurora nearly retched, and Lux shuddered at the memory of how they had raced for the bathrooms before the contents of their stomachs came racing back up, but shared in his brother's smile all the same. It was a small smile, but it was enough to comfort Opal into thinking the haze that'd found its way over her boyfriend was beginning to lift, and for that, she was grateful.

"Please don't remind me of that. Didn't _Mom_ even get involved in Dad's teasing for the next, what, two weeks?" He asked.

"Three, actually – I can't remember another time Mom let herself joke in any way besides dry humor that _year_." The brawler stressed, before kneeling to his pack to prepare what cooking tools and utensils he'd scavenged from the train crash for their upcoming meal.

As the two brothers continued their recollection of a simpler time in their lives, Ruby silently waved an amused goodbye to Opal and excused herself from the team's presence to share the rest of her and Weiss' plunder with everyone else. Thus, Opal was left with the duty of helping Aurora recover from the mere mention of one of the most atrocious-sounding foods she'd never dared to think of before. Though it took quite a few attempts to convince Aurora to eat again after hearing more of how the Vacuo twins' father preyed on their voracious appetites with his pranks, eventually Iridescence settled down and enjoyed what little something Tenebris could whip up with so little. After that, the team figured out who would keep the first watch, unfurled their sleeping bags, and prepared themselves for the early patrol they'd been so kind as to offer themselves to perform. Though it had been a trying day, and there were sure to be plenty more in the future, the small family of four were sure that they'd get through it together – even if Opal couldn't quite shake off the nagging feeling that something in that house just didn't feel right that night.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** **Yep. A rather innocuous chapter towards the end, sure, but I feel like if I want to try and flesh out a bit more of Iridescence as they are now, showing them in situations such as these is the best thing I can do for them. It's not like I'm much of a writer when it comes to action or stringing together cohesive scenes – that much I know for certain. Regardless! I loved giving Iridescence their first scene together and loved writing some subtle character alterations that correspond with how I think the Apathy would've affected them. Combine that fun bit of writing challenge with the animated and energetic attitude Ruby always holds towards food, and I like to think this was a sweet oneshot.**

 **Though I'll probably say that about every one of these, since they're labors of love, so… interpret my excitement as you will.**


	7. Volume 6: A Rogue Explosion

A Rogue Explosion:

Haven Academy, to the commoner, was a symbol of courage and the ultimate bastion that presided over the training of Huntsmen for as long as most in the city of Mistral could remember. To Emerald, however, its mere presence atop the highest cliffs of Mistral was a mocking reminder of the day those short few weeks ago when the only thing she held dear on Remnant had been taken from her.

The attack on Haven Academy was supposed to have been a cakewalk – the White Fang was to rig explosives to destroy Mistral's CCT Tower while Raven, Lionheart, and the rest of Salem's circle present would kill Qrow and grab the Relic of Knowledge. Even though they'd been outnumbered by Qrow and his unexpected pack of student pests, they'd been successful in the initial battle inside the Grand Hall, with Cinder managing to impale one of their number with her lance. The distraction was enough to allow for Cinder, Vernal, and Raven to descend into the Vault of the Spring Maiden to recover the Relic while Emerald, Hazel, and Mercury did their damnedest to stall for time. Despite the number of opponents the three of them were left to face alone, Emerald was still confident that they would triumph in the end so long as Cinder lived. That confidence never faltered even when Mercury had been unable to stop Opal and Yang from leaping down into the vault after her; after all, Cinder's power as the Fall Maiden had never let the green-haired thief down before.

But as the fight wore on and there continued to be no sign of Cinder's return, and Emerald felt a sudden and gut-wrenching _surge_ of energy and sheer power flow into her from below… the newly dubbed Fall Maiden knew that Cinder had perished. With her new powers coursing through her veins threatening to overtake her already, the sight of Opal and Yang emerging with the Relic alone from the vault below pushed Emerald over the edge. In a fit of rage mixed with sorrow at the loss of Cinder, Emerald had thrust forth a figment of Salem into the minds of everyone present in the hall and passed out due to the strain of using her Semblance so liberally.

When Emerald next woke, she, Hazel, and Mercury were already aboard an airship back to Salem's domain. Though she had known that with Cinder gone she and Mercury would be unable to refuse to continue working for Salem – given her worldwide reach – it was still a sobering thing to realize that she still couldn't take control of her life, even with her powers as the Fall Maiden. Hazel had remained mercifully quiet during the trip back, leaving Emerald to grieve the loss of Cinder alongside Mercury in peace – until they had arrived at Salem's domain and Tyrian had shown up to dare and _mock_ their loss. If not for Mercury and Hazel holding back her fury, the scorpion-tailed maniac would've been fried by Emerald on the spot, but Tyrian's mockery wasn't the worst of the ordeal that she'd endured after her failure at Haven.

Salem had been disconcertingly quiet when approached with the news of their failure and had even half-strangled Hazel via summoned Grimm arms when he was selfless enough to shoulder the blame for the unfortunate turn of events. In the end, Emerald had been forced to admit that their loss was the fault of Cinder's hubris and was approached with another sobering statement that almost disturbed her as much as Hazel's near-strangulation. Without even having told the ancient woman of what had happened to the Fall Maiden's power after Cinder's demise, Salem had calmly stated that "so long as we have a Maiden on our side… we have the advantage," all the while looking icily over her shoulder at Emerald.

Without a say in the matter unless she wanted to risk Salem's ire herself, Emerald had undergone a rudimentary and utterly brutal series of training sessions to understand the powers she had been endowed with. Since Salem wasn't a fool enough to believe Emerald's loyalty would be easily won, with her only ever having worked for her by proxy of Cinder, the new Fall Maiden had been given a deal she couldn't refuse. Salem had offered her _one_ chance at 'petty revenge' as she had called it, and Emerald had almost instantly accepted – the opportunity to avenge Cinder, the only thing that she cared about anymore. Though she knew Salem only made the offer so that she could force Emerald to swear loyalty to her in return for her 'generosity,' the new Fall Maiden didn't care that her path was once again set in stone by someone other than herself. The chance to get revenge for the death of the woman she'd seen as a mother figure, the woman who'd promised her that she'd never have to go hungry again, to Emerald, was more than worth the cost. Even Mercury, who saw Cinder as more of an employer than anything, seemed steadfast in sticking by Emerald's side until the end – not only because he had nowhere to go, but because he had long since begun to see Emerald as the sister he'd never had.

Thus, merely a handful of weeks after the death of Cinder, Emerald and the only two others that escaped Haven were right back in the streets of Mistral, or more specifically, the slums, in which their presence wouldn't be reported to the police. As the trio reached an overhang belonging to a next-to-empty noodle shop to take shelter from the rain, Hazel leaned up against the wall, and Emerald turned to face him.

"Why've we stopped?" Emerald demanded, "You told me that your informant was closer towards the cliffside." Hazel had been purposefully vague as to the identity of the person that they were supposed to speak with, and the titanic man's silence during their brief time in Mistral was beginning to grate on her nerves.

"Because, I figured it'd probably be better for you to know who you'll be talking to before you get us into trouble by losing your head," Hazel's gravelly voice explained, looking warily around him as he pulled down his massive cloak's hood to cover his face better. As Emerald crossed her arms, Hazel continued. "We're going to be getting our information from Little Miss Malachite."

Emerald's hand clenched so hard her dark knuckles went pale, her brow furrowed, and her eyes shut in subdued fury as she recognized Opal's last name. "Now before you decide to tear her to shreds, she isn't related to the Malachite Clan – far from it, actually," Hazel continued, unphased. "She's the leader of the spiders. The same group that the Malachite twins, her nieces, back in Vale are secretly loyal to. If you want information, you go through her, and you _don't_ threaten her in her own place."

At the behest of Hazel's warning and Mercury's attempts to calm her, Emerald regained her composure. "Fine. I'll play nice with Little Miss... so long as she gives us what we need."

Resuming his position guiding the younger pair deeper into the shadiest alleyways and dirt roads of Mistral, it wasn't long before the three of them finally arrived at an unremarkable bar whose only distinguishing feature was the symbol of the spiders' signature spiderweb carved into the doorframe. Hazel looked over his shoulder, giving Emerald a pointed look before opening the door, letting his younger allies through before crossing the threshold himself. The entire bar was rife with criminals clad with purple clothing bearing the symbol of the spiders, and all reeking of a mix of malice, arrogance, and a variety of alcohols and illegal substances.

Slowly striding through the place, a few of the spiders turned to regard the unfamiliar trio, with Mercury staring a few of them down as Emerald and Hazel caught a look at a blonde-haired woman flanked on both sides by armed guards at the back of the building. Hazel nodded to Emerald, confirming the young Maiden's suspicions that the portly woman was indeed Little Miss Malachite. Beginning to close the distance, Emerald's presence didn't go unnoticed by the guards nor Little Miss herself.

"That's far enough." She warned, her guards raising their weapons slightly as Hazel and Mercury appeared on either side of their green-haired ally. Emerald almost imperceptibly rolled her eyes and fetched a small sack of Lien she had 'procured,' tossing it in front of the leader of the gang. As the Lien spilled out towards the older woman and her now-forgotten meal, Little Miss smiled and unfurled her fan. "Now we can do business," she said, motioning for her guards to stand down as she inspected the wad of bills that'd spilled out in front of her. "Looks like your life savings and then some."

"It looks like enough to buy me the information I need," Emerald responded simply, sliding into the seat opposite of Little Miss as her allies stood at a small distance behind her.

"Cute," she smiled. "What do you want for it?"

"Two things. I want to know the location of these two groups," Emerald began, pulling out her Scroll and displaying an image of Teams RWBY and Iridescence, "And I want to know the location of Liumang Bakuhatsu."

With the utterance of that name, Little Miss' smile adopted a wry flavor to it, and one of her eyebrows raised in a mix of amusement and disbelief as some of the other members of her gang close enough to hear went silent. "I can do the first job for you no problem, all I need is a week. But," she chuckled, "What could a little thing like you be doing looking for Liumang?"

While Emerald didn't wish to spend any longer in Mistral than was necessary, she was willing to accept the wait and the word games, seeing as the spiders' leader was the best lead she had. Once Little Miss had referred to Liumang by his first name, however, Emerald's interest was piqued. Though she did know that Liumang had once led a cartel operating under his own name that had wreaked havoc for some time before one too many Huntsmen brought his organization crumbling down, she only had the faintest idea of what gave the man personally such respect among Mistral's criminal underbelly.

Biting back the irritation that she felt at being referred to as a 'little thing,' Emerald leaned forward onto the table to be closer to Little Miss Malachite. "I know that his cartel ran into trouble with two members of one of the groups I'm looking for, and I wanted to see if I could… acquire his services," she explained. Her hope was that, with Liumang likely having beef with Opal and Aurora, he'd be more than willing to come with her on her self-assigned mission. Even if his hype turned out to be for nothing, he'd at least be a useful distraction to the rest of the band of runts while Emerald singled out the two she was most interested in.

"His services, hm? I'll tell you what, if you think that you could convince _him_ to work for anyone but himself, then I'll pay you back everything his location will cost you," she said, closing her fan with a _snap_. "He brought me in a lot of business back in the day, but I'll tell you, he can be a pretty… explosive personality if you get on his bad side," Little Miss warned. Seeing how Emerald's resolute expression never wavered at the subtle implication of just how deadly he could be, the gang leader slid the sack of Lien into her arms and relaxed in her seat. "He lives in the underground tunnels just on the edge of the easternmost cliffs of Mistral – should be the only place there that's got its lights on this late at night."

Emerald nodded, rising to her feet and throwing Little Miss a look that was a mix of both appreciation and annoyance. "Then I'll see you in a week," was all she said, motioning for Hazel and Mercury to follow her as she adjusted her hood and made for the door.

"You know where she was talking about?" Emerald asked Hazel once they were back outside, the downpour only seeming to have worsened in the short time they were within the spiders' den. When the colossal man nodded, Emerald continued. "Then lead the way."

* * *

In only a few minutes' time, the simple rainfall evolved into a torrential downpour, with thunder and lightning racing across the sky with startling frequency right as the trio made it to their destination. True to her word, there was only one dwelling in the dimly lit tunnel streets that had its lights on, and Hazel allowed Emerald and Mercury to overtake him as they neared the house. It was in far superior shape to the other places flanking it on either side, to be sure, but it was far from large when compared to even the houses immediately beside it. If Liumang was trying to keep a low profile right under the noses of the Mistral council, then he probably couldn't have found a better humble-yet-hospitable hiding place if he tried.

"Well, here's to hoping Little Miss Gets-On-My-Nerves wasn't being literal about this guy being explosive. I'd hate to have to wash the blood out of my legs," Mercury quipped unhelpfully, leaning his shoulder against the front of the house as he crossed his weaponized prosthetics, waiting for Emerald to knock.

"So long as you hold your tongue Merc, we shouldn't need to blow our cover and make a mess of things again," Emerald snarked back, having long since gotten used to how utterly blasé her assassin partner could be when it came to the idea of things ending in a fight.

When Mercury just rolled his eyes and motioned for her to go on ahead, Emerald stepped up to the heavy wooden panel door before her and knocked three times, the sound muffled by the din of the rain and thunder outside the distant mouth of the cave behind them. As Hazel caught up with them and there seemed to be no sign of someone coming to answer, Mercury simply pouted and shrugged. Emerald was about to knock again when the door slid open.

As it did, they were greeted by the sight of who they could only assume was Liumang Bakuhatsu – as tall as Hazel but with a considerably thinner musculature, messy black hair, hazel eyes, and a Komodo dragon tail trailing behind him. The Faunus reeked of cigar smoke that even now billowed from within his home, no doubt a product of the packs of cigars that could be seen on the man's hip and strewn about the surprisingly well-furnished home behind him. The man stared down the trio silently for a few moments, his gaze lingering on Hazel's impassive expression before giving them a mildly amused smile as he relaxed into the door frame. "So," he said as his gaze shifted to Emerald, "here to kill me or talk?"

Hazel's expression didn't change, and the Faunus smiled, either amused or impressed by the stoic nature of Emerald's companion. Emerald ignored the man's idle greeting and pulled down her hood, drawing herself up to her full height. "You're Liumang Bakuhatsu?" She inquired, surprise lacing her tone. For some reason, she was expecting someone considerably more akin to Hazel in sheer size, and seeing a Faunus so bordering-on-lanky for his height was… unexpected, to say the least.

The man chuckled, and Mercury had to stifle the urge to roll his eyes at the man's already apparent ego. "You're well informed. Some nice little spiders told me you three were coming – owed me that much from the glory days," he revealed, "So come on in, Emerald. Let's talk."

As Liumang left the door frame and trailed off deeper into his home, Emerald's eyes widened for a moment before she reeled in her surprise and crossed the threshold along with her allies. While it wasn't impossible for someone with as many connections as Liumang to know her and her group by name, she hadn't expected him to be so utterly at ease, especially given how her trio were the most wanted criminals in the world right now. Upon further inspection, the reptilian Faunus' home was not only well-furnished, but was also decorated with so many fine objects that the seemingly inconspicuous place must've at one point served as a trophy house during the height of the Liumang Cartel. As Hazel closed the panel door behind them, Liumang was already sitting down comfortably at a table at the back end of the underground abode, lighting a cigar and waving Emerald to sit with him.

The Fall Maiden sat down across from him but didn't pull up her seat out of respect for her lungs' health. Lacing her fingers between one another, Emerald prepared to negotiate for Liumang to join her. "I need your services," She began.

"Oh, my services? Is that what you need?" Liumang chuckled, putting away his lighter. "I wouldn't have guessed, seeing as you couldn't be here for the cartel and none of my trophies are for sale."

"From what I understand, you're a more than capable fighter, and I want to offer you a job that we both get something out of." As Emerald explained herself, Liumang's tail slowly rose and fell with a _thump_ that could be interpreted as him being either amused or displeased – and she couldn't decide which annoyed her more. "I have a bone to pick with Opal Malachite, and I know your cartel ran into trouble dealing with her and Aurora Borealis' clans. I think that we should hunt them down together and – so long as you don't get in my way when it comes to ending Opal – you can do whatever you wish with Aurora and the rest of her friends. And rest assured, you will be well-paid for your help."

Liumang leaned back against his chair. "No deal," he said simply.

"I'm sorry? What part of getting paid for revenge doesn't appeal to you?" Emerald persisted, biting back a mild amount of irritation and surprise she felt at how utterly lax Liumang was. Between her own and Mercury's experiences, she found that money and revenge were some of the most powerful motivators, and to be told by one of the most wanted men in Mistral that he wasn't interested in either was a shock.

"In case you haven't noticed, _princess_ ," Liumang bit out, removing the cigar from his mouth and leaning in close to Emerald, "I've got all the money I need to last me three lifetimes, so what part of getting paid should I find interesting? Besides," he continued as he leaned back, puffing on his cigar once again, "didn't Little Miss mention I don't play well with others?"

Emerald's interwoven fingers tightened, but she otherwise maintained her composure. "So, you're just the leader of a dead cartel then? Just waiting for a perfect job to fall right into your lap?"

Liumang sighed as he removed his cigar from his mouth again long enough to flick the ash off the end. "You know what your problem is? You think like a child," he smirked as Emerald glared at him, but he continued before she could respond. "Let's say I were to help you," he said as he pulled out a knife, causing Emerald and Mercury to stiffen; however, Liumang was only interested in using it to clean his nails. "We find Malachite and Borealis and kill them, then what? Right now, I'm just an issue to the police, but if I help you, then I have to deal with Huntsmen coming down on me all over again." He fell silent, inspecting his freshly trimmed nails before turning his attention to his other hand. "Now, I could go through all of that… or I could wait," he continued, still sounding lackadaisical despite the context of their conversation. "I can stay under the radar, rebuilding the cartel, while making friends with some of the police and Huntsmen out there. Then, when the time is right, I can kill them both myself. My friends on the inside will make sure their deaths are never tied to me, and it'll be business as usual." After ensuring that all his fingers had been attended to, he put the knife away and sized up Emerald again. "Say you were in my shoes. Which choice would you make?"

Emerald bit her tongue as she turned the question over in her mind. If she were to be more dispassionate about the whole affair, she had to acknowledge that maybe he had a point; however, that didn't make her answer any easier to reach. "Mistral Police! Open up! You have 30 seconds to comply!" Unfortunately, it seemed that she wouldn't have time to reach a conclusion as an unfamiliar and youthful voice echoed through the room authoritatively.

As Mercury and Hazel whirred to face the door, Emerald glanced at the source of the commotion before looking back to Liumang, who looked thoroughly irritated. "Liumang, we didn't tell them we were coming here, I swear!" She hurriedly reassured, rising to her feet as the tall Faunus did and raising her hands placatingly.

"I know," Liumang said shortly, taking another puff of his cigar before casting it aside as he brushed past Emerald.

"What?" Emerald questioned – if someone had come to her hideout just for the cops to show up minutes later, there'd be no doubt in her mind that whoever preceded them had set her up.

"Why would one of the most wanted criminals in the world tip the cops off?" he asked curtly as he moved past her. "That would just get you caught too. No, this little operation is probably because one of my enemies from back in the day finally found out where I am." He said over his shoulder, passing by Hazel and Mercury, who simply shared a confused look with each other. "Just relax and let me handle this," he continued with a playful smile. "Who knows? If things go south, I might just reconsider your offer – hopefully this is just some new cops that're in over their heads, though," he said, cracking his ringed fingers.

Outside, the lead officer had finished his warning countdown, and within moments no fewer than a dozen heavily armored Mistral Police Force officers burst through the front door and the windows, their weapons armed and all trained on Liumang. This wasn't simply a few new beat cops trying to make a name for themselves with some fresh lead they'd dug up about Liumang's location – no, this was a full-scale task force assembled to take the Faunus in. Even as Emerald debated what could've been the reason for such a force to be assembled to take in one man, only a handful of the officers present shifted their aim to rest on the other easily-recognizable fugitives in the room.

"Liumang Bakuhatsu. Emerald Sustrai," the same young male cop began, his pistol never wavering from its position pointing at the Faunus, "You and your allies are hereby under arrest as enemies of the kingdom of Mistral. Come quietly and you will be tried fairly under the fullest extent of the law."

Salem's agents merely readied themselves for a fight, but Liumang calmly took a step forward while holding up his hands placatingly, as though he were ready to surrender – but anyone who knew his reputation knew that this was an empty gesture, especially with the confident smile he wore. "Hey now, there's no need for things to get messy. I think we should all just go our separate ways and forget everything we think we may have seen or heard. After all, wouldn't it be a shame if Mistral lost so many of its finest all in one night?"

A disconcerting silence fluttered about the room as neither side refused to make the first move, the impromptu standoff's quiet was only broken by the repeated _thumping_ of Liumang's tail on the hardwood floor. Even underneath some of the veteran officers' helmets, Emerald could see beads of sweat begin to roll down their cheeks in anticipation. Every single one of them must have been fully aware of what had made Liumang himself such a menace mere months ago. She simply watched the Faunus, intent on finding out what miracle of a plan he had in mind to avoid them having to fight their way out of Mistral now that they'd been discovered. Emerald saw the events that followed as though they were occurring in slow motion.

When Liumang realized that none of the cops present were willing to stand down, and he noticed the slight quivering of the youthful lead cop's pistol, he knew that it was the time to strike. In a heartbeat, Liumang had risen to his full height, taken in a deep breath through his nose, and let out a sharp whistle that would be the last thing any of the officers there would ever hear. The whistle traveled visibly through the air in a beam of condensed energy, letting out two seemingly harmless _snaps_ before a third reached the lead officer – and promptly detonated so violently that even a fire Dust canisters' explosion would've paled in comparison.

The resulting inferno blew the entire front section of Liumang's hideaway to splinters, killed all the police officers instantly, and set what remained of both the building's front and the task force aflame as the explosion echoed ominously through the tunnels outside. Liumang, with the same unnervingly confident smile as before, picked up his cigar from where he'd flicked it aside, and turned around to face Emerald and her allies. Mercury and Hazel's expressions simply displayed surprise, but Emerald only looked impressed. With the firepower Liumang had revealed he possessed, she was sure that her revenge would be that much more likely to be hers when her mission concluded.

"So," Liumang began casually, the burning of bodies and his home alike not bothering him in the slightest as he took another drag of his cigar, "About that offer of yours…"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** **So, I imagine you're wondering why didn't Emerald make them all hidden, given her Semblance? Although she may be a Maiden, and I like to think that makes her Semblance less restrictive, I don't think she'd just use it with flagrant disregard for the pain overusing it could possibly bring her. Besides… then I wouldn't have had the chance to write this oneshot, since it seems everything can be solved via illusions if you think about it.**

 **Also… fun facts about Liumang time! Bakuhatsu means explosion in Japanese, so that literally makes his name mean "rogue/hoodlum explosion," which couldn't have been more accidentally apt a description for him if I tried. What's more, despite Liumang being a latecomer to my list of OC's (like, developed him while writing volume 4), the opportunity to make the Liumang Cartel not just be a throwaway organization was just too great for me to pass up. Add in the idea of Liumang spitting/whistling explosions like Sparky Sparky Boom Man instead of poison like his real-life animal counterpart with a little Yondu pizzazz, and I knew I was onto something really fun to write about. The fact Little Miss Malachite is as sleazy as I imagined Liumang to be – even prior to Volume 6 airing – only solidified that belief of mine.**


End file.
